Photo: Bull Kelp

A close up shot of bull kelp at the Fossil Forest that covers the coastline at Curio Bay on the Southern Scenic Route along the South Island of New Zealand.

Yellow bull kelp along Curio Bay in Otago on the South Island of New Zealand can be very interesting to study. The bull kelp intertwined along the coastline in this picture almost looks as if it is made of rubber when fairly dry but when it is wet it is slimy to look at and to step on.Bull kelp is a fairly common sight along the New Zealand coastline especially around Curio Bay as the kelp clings to the rugged rocks along the shoreline. Not only will you find massive amounts of bull kelp here, you can also explore the coastline for amazing fossils.Amongst all the bull kelp and crashing ocean waves, over 100,000 tourists come to Curio Bay to view the amazing scenery, kelp and fascinating rock formations. You must take extreme care when wandering along this coastline as the bull kelp can make walking very tricky and you must always be aware of fossils.Bull kelp can reproduce very quickly and that is why you will find such vast amounts of it along this New Zealand coastline. ... continue below the picture...

... Whatever remaining pieces are stranded on shore when the tide recedes, many small sea creatures find the bull kelp perfect for shelter or food.Vivid Yellow Bull Kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana, fringing the Fossil Forest at Curio Bay, Southern Scenic Route, Catlins, Otago, East Coast, South Island, New Zealand.