← Rock Pool Directory/ New Zealand/ Curio Bay Scientific Reserve

Curio Bay Scientific Reserve

Southland District, Southland · New Zealand

What have people found?

Column barnacles, brown periwinkle and blue tube worm turn up here more than at our other rock pools. Neptune's necklace, new zealand bull kelp and spotted top snail are the usual finds. ~102 distinct species have been recorded here, across at least 2 years of observations.

What is the best time to visit today?

Download the app to see the 7-day schedule.

See low tide times at Curio Bay Scientific Reserve for the next three days
  1. Mon 16 Novin the dark~2:00in the dark~14:30
  2. Tue 17 Novin the dark~2:30in the dark~15:00
  3. Wed 18 Novin the dark~3:30in the dark~16:00

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 January and December.

What should you know before visiting?

Parking is about 100 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 Curio Bay Scientific Reserve?

Species records from iNaturalist

Neptune's necklaceHormosira banksii
New Zealand Bull KelpDurvillaea antarctica
Spotted Top SnailDiloma aethiops
Snakeskin ChitonSypharochiton pelliserpentis
Ornate LimpetCellana ornata
Brown PeriwinkleAustrolittorina cincta
Cellana strigilisCellana strigilis
Radiate LimpetCellana radians
Column BarnaclesChamaesipho columna
New Zealand Blue-banded PeriwinkleAustrolittorina antipodum
Blue Tube WormSpirobranchus cariniferus
Plicate barnacleEpopella plicata
Cystophora retroflexaCystophora retroflexa
Adenocystis utricularisAdenocystis utricularis
Speckled rock anemoneOulactis muscosa
Scan this rock pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.