Found in a wide range of habitats, including rocky reefs, sand, and mud bottoms, primarily in depths of 5–60 metres, though some can be found down to 200 metres
Found in the waters around New Zealand and southeastern Australia. It is a solitary fish that grows up to 20 cm long and has reddish-brown and pinkish bands on its body. It lives in crevices on boulder bottoms and rocky ledges, typically at depths between 5 and 100 meters.
Found in southern Australia, and off the North Island of New Zealand, at depths down to 30 m. The large kelpfish feeds on invertebrates, including small molluscs, crabs and kin
Top: Male Bottom: Female They live in small harems consisting of one male and several females and juveniles. They are active during the day and sleep buried in sand at night.
Parore grow to a maximum length of 60 cm, but most adult fish are 30-40 cm. Parore has a maximum age of 10 years. They are a relatively fast growing fish, reaching 30 cm by age 5, at which point growth slows.
Kahawai can live up to 26 years and grow up to 79 cm long. They chase bait fish to the surface in what is known as a ‘boil up’ because it makes the water appear as if it is boiling.
Blue maomao are found in shallow water off rocky coasts, more abundantly north of East Cape. Often they occur in shoals which, when near the surface, give the water a bright-blue coloration.
The Kingfish grows to a maximum size of approximately 2 metres and can weigh up to 70 kilograms. They are a curious fish species and if a diver makes a loud noise underwater, it will often bring the kingfish in for a closer look.
Kina is a sea urchin found only in New Zealand. found in shallow, rocky coastal waters and known for being a traditional food for Māori, who eat the insides raw or cooked.