Thread: Tuatua

Any hints tips tricks to gathering them?
How deep do they burrow in the sand/mud?

Here in the BOP ankle deep at the most under the sand, normally feel them under the surface of the sand with your toes then grab them, nice raw or I also like them just boiled so they open up and spit the sand out on bread and butter. Low tide.


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They make great pattys to

Just make sure its open season, know southland had closed them all off for ages on oration beach

Originally Posted by 223nut

Just make sure its open season, know southland had closed them all off for ages on oration beach

Google no help there, infact I cannot find any closures anywhere in NZ only Cockles and Toheroa up north.

bout to go for a look...take a shovel or rake?

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

bout to go for a look...take a shovel or rake?

I think using tools is a no no

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Google no help there, infact I cannot find any closures anywhere in NZ only Cockles and Toheroa up north.

My bad.... Meant toheroa must need more coffee

Originally Posted by Pengy

I think using tools is a no no

For tuatua in particular?
the local Maoris out your way use rakes for cockles and hammers for rock oysters.

I cant find the relevant info, but I am sure I read somewhere that you are not allowed to use any implement to gather shellfish at all.
Hammer makes sense though.

My old man had it sussed when it came to getting Tuatua from the beach. He would send us kids out to get them. They make a great fritter.

we get them a lot up this way. look for areas along a beach with heaps of (dead) shell life and importantly tuatua shells. often not as far out as you think. dig with your feet. if you find one keep concentrating on that area as they often are in groups. break up a weetbix in new salt water, i throw in a frozen coke bottle to keep it cool. leave minimum four hours

That was a lot easier than I expected



Lots of small ones high graded by about 75%

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I usually keep them in a bucket of seawater overnight to let them spot the sand out. Have had smoked on vogels, raw in a shot of vodka with tobasco sauce, fritters, and as part of a chowder. They are pretty good. Smoked with garlic on toast was bloody brilliant

Tools are a no no, use your feet and do the tuatua shuffle sinking up to your ankles easy as bloody tasty but let them spit out the sand first or theyre a bit gritty.