Kite spot on water · New Zealand

Wainui- New Spot

Name: Wainui- New Spot
Address: NZ

Riders have kited it in SW.

Show on the map-41.4113, 174.8778

Works in: SW
Watch out: S
Nearest airport: WLGWellington International Airport, 11 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

worksdoes not work / gustyno reports

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

From riders

What you need to know

Who it suits: Definitely not for beginners due to the tight space.
Size of the area: Narrow river with a width similar to Waikanae, fits a maximum of 2 riders (more options on the open ocean).
Watch out S: When the wind shifts to N, it blows straight down the river and stops being fun.

Watch out for

Narrow area with high banks on both sides and little room for error; rocks and branches in the river shift with every flood.community map
Steep beach and heavy shore break right in front of the river mouth combined with rocks.community map

Where to launch

Reasonable beach space for rigging and launching next to the river past the Orongorongo bridge.community map

Getting there

Drive to the end of the road and cross the Orongorongo bridge.community map

Conditions

Ride on the river running parallel to the beach (flat water, knee- to waist-deep) or in the open ocean.community map

Riders' tips

It is best to walk the river first to check for rocks and branches. A good flatwater option when the wind at Lyall is too westerly (SW).community map

In riders' own words

„When we started the wind was slightly SW“
„turned more south and then wasn't much fun as it ended up blowing down the river.“
„It is kitable on the river running parallel to the beach although it is tight and definitely not for beginners.“
„It will not cope well with more that 2 people max, although there are options for kiting on the open ocean side.“
„Drive your car to the end of the road and go over the Orongorongo bridge. There is a reasonable beach/setup spot. next to the river.“
„There are a few avoidable rocks and sticks in the river that will probably move with each flood so best to walk down and check it out first.“
„its quite a steep beach so the shore break gets quite vicious in the area directly in front of the river, combined with rocks makes it challenging.“
„Not much room if things go wrong, but manageable as the depth is knee to waist height.“
„It would be good when Lyal is too west (SW), you are after flat water, can't be bothered driving over to Lake Onoke“

Photos from the area

Wainuiomata River mouth viewed from Baring Head · 592 m from the spot
Pseudopanax at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Wainuiomata River · 798 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.

13.3Jan6.8

12.7Feb6.5

12.4Mar6.4

12.2Apr6.3

13.0May6.7

13.4Jun6.9

13.5Jul6.9

13.1Aug6.7

14.4Sep7.4

14.2Oct7.3

14.0Nov7.2

13.4Dec6.9

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

Values by month

January	13.3 knots · 6.8 m/s
February	12.7 knots · 6.5 m/s
March	12.4 knots · 6.4 m/s
April	12.2 knots · 6.3 m/s
May	13.0 knots · 6.7 m/s
June	13.4 knots · 6.9 m/s
July	13.5 knots · 6.9 m/s
August	13.1 knots · 6.7 m/s
September	14.4 knots · 7.4 m/s
October	14.2 knots · 7.3 m/s
November	14.0 knots · 7.2 m/s
December	13.4 knots · 6.9 m/s

Nearby

More spots within 60 km

Been there?

Add what you know

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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.