Kite spot on water · New Zealand

Kawhia beach

Name: Kawhia beach
Address: NZ

Practical notes from riders: launch, parking and what to watch out for.

Show on the map-38.0670, 174.7781

Nearest airport: HLZHamilton International Airport, 53 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

Pparking

From riders

What you need to know

Size of the area: Plenty of space for launching and riding.

Where to launch

Plenty of launching space.community map

Parking

Car park about 450 m from the spot, free.OpenStreetMap

Getting there

Short walk across the dunes.community map

Conditions

Occasionally nice waves.community map

In riders' own words

„plenty of space to launch and kite“
„OpenStreetMap way/346558551“
„A bit of walk over the dunes“
„nice waves at times as well.“

Photos from the area

Ocean Beach south towards Kawhia Harbour entrance · 89 m from the spot
Pseudopanax at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Ocean Beach, Kawhia · 330 m from the spot
Pseudopanax at English Wikipedia, Public domain, 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.

9.6Jan4.9

8.8Feb4.5

8.9Mar4.6

9.0Apr4.6

10.0May5.1

10.7Jun5.5

10.7Jul5.5

10.3Aug5.3

10.9Sep5.6

11.3Oct5.8

10.6Nov5.5

10.3Dec5.3

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

Values by month

January	9.6 knots · 4.9 m/s
February	8.8 knots · 4.5 m/s
March	8.9 knots · 4.6 m/s
April	9.0 knots · 4.6 m/s
May	10.0 knots · 5.1 m/s
June	10.7 knots · 5.5 m/s
July	10.7 knots · 5.5 m/s
August	10.3 knots · 5.3 m/s
September	10.9 knots · 5.6 m/s
October	11.3 knots · 5.8 m/s
November	10.6 knots · 5.5 m/s
December	10.3 knots · 5.3 m/s

Nearby

More spots within 60 km

Kawhia HarbourWater · 4 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.