← Rock Pool Directory/ New Zealand/ Port Waikato

Port Waikato

Waikato District, Waikato · New Zealand

What have people found?

Mussel beard, plicate barnacle and giant shore anemone turn up here more than at our other rock pools. New zealand green-lipped mussel, radiate limpet and reef sea star are the usual finds. ~51 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 Port Waikato for the next three days
  1. Mon 16 Novin the dark~8:30in the dark~21:30
  2. Tue 17 Novin the dark~9:30in the dark~22:30
  3. Wed 18 Novin the dark~10:30in the dark~23:30

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 August.

What should you know before visiting?

Parking is about 250 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 Port Waikato?

Species records from iNaturalist

New Zealand Green-lipped MusselPerna canaliculus
Radiate LimpetCellana radians
Reef Sea StarStichaster australis
Purple Rock CrabLeptograpsus variegatus
Plicate barnacleEpopella plicata
Little Black MusselXenostrobus neozelanicus
New Zealand Common Cushion StarPatiriella regularis
New Zealand Blue-banded PeriwinkleAustrolittorina antipodum
Spotted Top SnailDiloma aethiops
Giant Shore AnemoneOulactis magna
Mussel beardAmphisbetia bispinosa
Walking SeahareAplysia juliana
Waratah AnemoneActinia tenebrosa
New Zealand Common Swimming CrabOvalipes catharus
Snakeskin ChitonSypharochiton pelliserpentis
Scan this rock pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.