Kite spot on water · New Zealand

Island bay,Birkenhead

Name: Island bay,Birkenhead
Address: NZ

Riders have kited it in S.

Show on the map-36.8103, 174.6891

Works in: S
Nearest airport: AKLAuckland International Airport, 24 km

Forecast and webcams

Before you go

Forecasts often disagree. When Windguru, ALADIN and Windy agree, it is worth going.

Tips for this spot

Offshore wind carries you away from land. Do not ride it without a rescue boat.
When a storm is coming, get out of the water and land the kite at once. Gusts before a storm are violent and a kite overhead is the highest point around.
New spot: ask locals about shallows, currents and where people launch.

On site

Wind and riding area

worksno reports

Direction the wind blows from. Based on riders' experience, not a forecast.

Pparking

From riders

What you need to know

Who it suits: Suitable for experienced kiters.
Size of the area: Limited beach space.

Watch out for

Limited beach space.community map

Where to launch

Rig at low tide, limited space on the beach.community map

Parking

Car park “Island Bay Reserve Car Park” at the spot.OpenStreetMap
Car park about 300 m from the spot.OpenStreetMap

Conditions

Rigging at low tide due to lack of beach space.community map

In riders' own words

„suits a Southerly“
„Best left for experienced Kiters.“
„there isnt much beach space.“
„Rigging done at Low tide as there isnt much beach space.“
„OpenStreetMap way/791595552“
„OpenStreetMap way/1551915634“

Photos from the area

Soldiers Bay Kauri Park Sunset · 824 m from the spot
Al404, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Wind by month

When it blows

Average wind speed 10 m above ground from NASA POWER (MERRA-2, 2001–2025). The model works on a grid of roughly 50 km; on hills and by the water the wind is often stronger and gustier.

11.7Jan6.0

11.0Feb5.7

11.4Mar5.9

11.8Apr6.1

13.4May6.9

14.4Jun7.4

14.2Jul7.3

13.7Aug7.0

13.9Sep7.2

14.0Oct7.2

13.0Nov6.7

12.5Dec6.4

windiest monthsaverage wind in knots, NASA POWER; below the month in m/s

Values by month

January	11.7 knots · 6.0 m/s
February	11.0 knots · 5.7 m/s
March	11.4 knots · 5.9 m/s
April	11.8 knots · 6.1 m/s
May	13.4 knots · 6.9 m/s
June	14.4 knots · 7.4 m/s
July	14.2 knots · 7.3 m/s
August	13.7 knots · 7.0 m/s
September	13.9 knots · 7.2 m/s
October	14.0 knots · 7.2 m/s
November	13.0 knots · 6.7 m/s
December	12.5 knots · 6.4 m/s

Nearby

More spots within 60 km

Been there?

Add what you know

Parking changed, a new ban, a new obstacle in the water? Tell us, we will check it and update the page.

Sources: Community map “Kitesurfing spots in NZ” (Google My Maps). Wind NASA POWER, airports OurAirports, photos Wikimedia Commons (author and licence with each photo). As of 17 October 2026. These are riders' reports; local rules change, so look around before you ride and follow local signs.