← Rock Pool Directory/ New Zealand/ Riversdale Beach

Riversdale Beach

Masterton District, Wellington · New Zealand

What have people found?

Painted shrimp, hairy seaweed crab and spotted whelk turn up here more than at our other rock pools. Variable chiton, radiate limpet and golden limpet are the usual finds. ~94 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 Riversdale Beach 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 October and December.

What should you know before visiting?

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 Riversdale Beach?

Species records from iNaturalist

Variable ChitonIschnochiton maorianus
Radiate LimpetCellana radians
Golden LimpetCellana flava
Spotted WhelkCominella maculosa
Painted ShrimpAlope spinifrons
Neptune's necklaceHormosira banksii
Sigapatella novaezelandiaeSigapatella novaezelandiae
Hairy Seaweed CrabNotomithrax ursus
Common flapjackCarpophyllum maschalocarpum
New Zealand Hermit CrabPagurus novizealandiae
Micrelenchus tessellatusMicrelenchus tessellatus
Red Rock CrabGuinusia chabrus
Triangle ClamCrassula aequilatera
Pholadidea suteriPholadidea suteri
Cat's Eye SnailLunella smaragdus
Scan this rock pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.