← Rock Pool Directory/ New Zealand/ Mathesons Bay

Mathesons Bay

Rodney, Auckland · New Zealand

What have people found?

Pink golf ball sponge, variable nudibranch and grey side-gilled sea slug turn up here more than at our other rock pools. White-speckled seahare, gem doris and kina are the usual finds. ~265 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 Mathesons Bay for the next three days
  1. Mon 16 Novin the dark~6:30in the dark~19:00
  2. Tue 17 Novin the dark~7:30in the dark~20:00
  3. Wed 18 Novin the dark~8:00in the dark~21:00

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?

JFMAMJJASOND

Most observations come from January and March.

What should you know before visiting?

Parking is about 150 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 Mathesons Bay?

Species records from iNaturalist

White-speckled SeahareAplysia argus
Gem DorisDendrodoris krusensternii
KinaEvechinus chloroticus
Hypsistozoa fasmerianaHypsistozoa fasmeriana
Clown DorisCeratosoma amoenum
New Zealand Common Cushion StarPatiriella regularis
Common Sydney OctopusOctopus tetricus
Eleven-armed Sea StarCoscinasterias muricata
Melanochlamys cylindricaMelanochlamys cylindrica
Aplysia concavaAplysia concava
Grey Side-gilled Sea SlugPleurobranchaea maculata
Nassarius spiratusNassarius spiratus
Pink Golf Ball SpongeTethya bergquistae
Variable NudibranchAphelodoris luctuosa
Common KelpEcklonia radiata
Scan this rock pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.