Best time to kitesurf Maketū

The best time to kitesurf at Maketū is January–March, October–December, the well-known local wind season, with water around 20°C.

Maketū, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

Sports: Kitesurfing, Surfing

Best time to go: January–March, October–December

Maketū is a small town at the mouth of the Maketū estuary on the Bay of Plenty coast, about half an hour's drive south-east of Tauranga and 12 minutes from Te Puke; Mount Maunganui is on the horizon 40 km to the north-west. The main beach runs from the estuary mouth to Okurei Point, with rocks and cliffs at its southern end, and past the point lie the white-sand beaches of Newdicks and Little Waihi. There is plenty of parking along Beach Road and by the estuary, with toilets and a playground in the park on the estuary side.

Kitesurfers and windsurfers use the open beach. It faces north, so winds from the east to north-east and from the west blow cross-shore, north winds blow onshore, and southerlies blow offshore and are not for kiting. It is usually rideable from about 12 knots, with chop and small waves; the easterly sea breezes of the warmer months bring most of the kiting days. Surfers look for a north-east swell with a south-west wind, at the beach and at Little Waihi further east.

The estuary is calm and shallow and good for families, but the current in its mouth is strong when the tide runs, so do not ride or swim near the entrance. Rocks lie off the main beach near Okurei Point. Shorebirds such as dotterels nest on the sand spit by the estuary in spring and summer: keep your kite away from it. The water is about 14 °C in August and 22 °C in February: a 5/4 with boots in winter, a 3/2 or a shorty in summer. Tauranga Hospital is about 40 minutes away.

Month by month at Maketū

January: 6 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 0.6 m, water 22°C, air 23°C (nights 16°C), 27 sunny days, 15 rainy days
February: 4 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 0.7 m, water 22°C, air 23°C (nights 16°C), 24 sunny days, 15 rainy days
March: 4 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 0.8 m, water 21°C, air 22°C (nights 14°C), 28 sunny days, 9 rainy days
April: 6 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 1 m, water 19°C, air 20°C (nights 13°C), 23 sunny days, 13 rainy days
May: 5 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 1.3 m, water 17°C, air 17°C (nights 10°C), 25 sunny days, 10 rainy days
June: 6 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 1.5 m, water 15°C, air 16°C (nights 9°C), 22 sunny days, 12 rainy days
July: 5 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 1.5 m, water 14°C, air 15°C (nights 7°C), 24 sunny days, 12 rainy days
August: 4 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 1.5 m, water 14°C, air 15°C (nights 7°C), 26 sunny days, 11 rainy days
September: 8 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 1.4 m, water 15°C, air 16°C (nights 9°C), 26 sunny days, 12 rainy days
October: 9 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 1.2 m, water 16°C, air 18°C (nights 10°C), 28 sunny days, 10 rainy days
November: 6 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 0.9 m, water 18°C, air 20°C (nights 13°C), 28 sunny days, 13 rainy days
December: 6 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 0.8 m, water 20°C, air 22°C (nights 15°C), 27 sunny days, 14 rainy days