Paua Shell

Paua is a species of abalone (Haliotis Iris), with a very special shell. It is only found in the seas around New Zealand. This marine snails eats seaweed and lives clinging to the rocks at depths of 1-10 metres, normally found around most of the NZ rocky shoreline, but it grows biggest and best in the cold waters around Stewart Island and Southland. Paua shell is the most colourful of all the abalone shells.