It is continually surprising what lies beneath our seas.
This week, large sea snails have washed up on Northland beaches. On east coast beaches as far south as Mount Maunganui, for that matter.
The large sea snails - tonna tankervillii - are more commonly known as the cask shell.
Unlike scallops, which wash up on our beaches after a big blow, cask shells aren't too tasty.
Unless you are a sting ray, which are fond of crushing the shells and eating the contents.