Sea Urchins

Go Dive Center

How many of us have one or two green kina shells hanging around at home with their pretty spots and segmented surface they make great decoration pieces, but did you know
Sea Urchins, Kina or Sea Eggs are common in the waters around New Zealand. About 70 different species can be found with most living in the deep water while around 11 species can be found at depths of 12-14 meters.

These spherical shaped creatures covered in long and short movable spines resembling an underwater hedgehog have a mouth on the underside with a 5-sided limy structure called Aristotle’s Lantern which acts like a set of jaws grinding up food into digestible pellets.

Kina are omnivorous but prefer to feed on large brown seaweeds and kelp, large groups can eat out whole seaweed sites leaving the area barren. They are male and female, but it is difficult to tell them apart until they are cracked open. Undisturbed a kina can live for as long as 20 years.

Kina have been a traditional part of the Maori diet since before pre-European settlement.
The roe of the kina is considered a delicacy to many people and can be eaten raw straight from the shell or served as sushi or “uni” and depending on how it is prepared are low in calories, fat and quite high in protein. The flavour has been described as combination of creamy, sweet, sour salty and bitter.

When harvesting kina take care they are spiky!! Gloves are recommended.