Amy's pāua shells

Last week Amy brought her pāua shells to show! These pāua shells are special to Amy because they are souvenirs of one of her family's visits to Te Oka Bay on Banks Peninsula. They found the pāua while exploring the rocks around the bay. Once he checked to make sure they were over the size limit (125mm), Amy's dad prised them off the rocks, shucked the meat from the shells and barbecued them up.

Pāua are actually big sea snails which can be found all over the world - but in New Zealand their shells grow bigger and brighter than anywhere else, thanks to their seaweed and kelp diet. Pāua has become a symbol of New Zealand thanks to its colourful shell being used in souvenirs, jewellery and artworks.

Thank you Amy for sharing your taonga with us!