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Kean Point Scenic Reserve

Kaikōura District, Canterbury · New Zealand

What have people found?

Big hand crab, blue green chiton and seven-armed sea star turn up here more than at our other tide pools. Denticulate limpet, neptune's necklace and spotted top snail are the usual finds. ~145 distinct species have been recorded here, across at least 5 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 Kean Point Scenic Reserve for the next three days
  1. Mon, Nov 16in the dark~4:30 AMin the dark~5:00 PM
  2. Tue, Nov 17in the dark~5:00 AMin the dark~6:00 PM
  3. Wed, Nov 18in the dark~6:00 AMin the dark~6:30 PM

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 November.

What should you know before visiting?

Parking is about 0.2 miles 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. Tide pool safety
A tide pool is a fragile place. Look and photograph, take nothing. The tidepooling code

What lives at Kean Point Scenic Reserve?

Species records from iNaturalist

Denticulate LimpetCellana denticulata
Neptune's necklaceHormosira banksii
Spotted Top SnailDiloma aethiops
Cat's Eye SnailLunella smaragdus
New Zealand Common Cushion StarPatiriella regularis
Snakeskin ChitonSypharochiton pelliserpentis
New Zealand Half CrabPetrolisthes elongatus
Blackfoot PauaHaliotis iris
Common flapjackCarpophyllum maschalocarpum
Big Hand CrabHeterozius rotundifrons
Blue Green ChitonChiton glaucus
Seven-armed Sea StarAstrostole scabra
New Zealand Bull KelpDurvillaea antarctica
New Zealand Blue-banded PeriwinkleAustrolittorina antipodum
Cook's TurbanCookia sulcata
Scan this tide pool on your next visit.

Every organism named, every visit logged to your journal.