← Rock Pool Directory/ New Zealand/ Castlepoint

Castlepoint

Wellington · New Zealand

What have people found?

Common rock crab, leathery sea slug and common flapjack turn up here more than at our other rock pools. Kaeo sea tulip, purple rock crab and snakeskin chiton are the usual finds. ~56 distinct species have been recorded here.

What is the best time to visit today?

Download the app to see the 7-day schedule.

See low tide times at Castlepoint for the next three days
  1. Mon 16 Novin the dark~5:00in the dark~17:30
  2. Tue 17 Novin the dark~5:30in the dark~18:00
  3. Wed 18 Novin the dark~6:30in the dark~19:00

Every low tide each day, in local time at the shore.

Plan the week in Intertidal
  • A tide chart for every day, with the best window marked
  • Identify what you find from a photo
  • An alert when a good daylight low is coming

When do people visit?

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Most observations come from March and October.

What should you know before visiting?

Parking is about 450 meters away.
Arrive 45 minutes to an hour before low tide and leave as it turns. The water comes back faster than it left.
Grippy shoes beat sandals. Wet rock and algae are more slippery than they look. Rock pool safety
A rock pool is a fragile place. Look and photograph, take nothing. The rockpooling code

What lives at Castlepoint?

Species records from iNaturalist

Kaeo Sea TulipPyura pachydermatina
Purple Rock CrabLeptograpsus variegatus
Snakeskin ChitonSypharochiton pelliserpentis
New Zealand Bull KelpDurvillaea antarctica
Leathery Sea SlugOnchidella nigricans
Common Rock CrabHemigrapsus sexdentatus
Common flapjackCarpophyllum maschalocarpum
Ornate LimpetCellana ornata
Waratah AnemoneActinia tenebrosa
Radiate LimpetCellana radians
New Zealand Blue-banded PeriwinkleAustrolittorina antipodum
Spotted WhelkCominella maculosa
New Zealand Half CrabPetrolisthes elongatus
Seven-armed Sea StarAstrostole scabra
White-striped AnemoneAnthothoe albocincta
Scan this rock pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.