DSC_5289 Bull kelp, or rimurapa (Durvillaea antarctica) the stalks of bull kelp withstand tremendous force when waves crash onto them. They stretch and bend without snapping, and return to their original position in the waves. It is thought that high concentrations of the chemical alginate are responsible for this elasticity. Coastal residents of Otago and Southland even use bull kelp stipes to make bouncing balls! Brighton Beach
DSC_9627 Bull kelp, or rimurapa (Durvillaea antarctica) detail of holdfast. Massive plants that grow on very exposed coastlines. The thick heavy stipe splits into many thongs. The more exposed the coast, the more whip-like the blades are. Catseye Point, Kakanui
DSC_2589 'Cape' bull kelp, or rimurapa (Durvillaea poha) recently described and previously regarded as a variety of bull kelp that grew in wave-sheltered habitats. Common at mid-tide level on exposed southern coastlines, in a band above D. antarctica. Brighton Beach
