Best time to wing foil Ōakura – Taranaki

The best time to wing foil at Ōakura – Taranaki is March–November, with about 9 windy days a month (15+ knots) and water around 16°C.

Ōakura, Taranaki, New Zealand

Sports: Wingfoiling, Windsurfing, Surfing

Best time to go: March–November

Ōakura is a small seaside village on State Highway 45, the Surf Highway, about 15 minutes' drive south-west of New Plymouth, with Mount Taranaki behind it. The beach runs in front of the village and faces north-west. The village has cafés, a supermarket, a surf shop, surf lessons and accommodation, and there is parking by the beach. Surf lifeguards patrol the beach in summer.

Surfers find a mellow beach break with several peaks over sand and uneven patches of reef; the peaks move with the tide. It works best in a westerly to south-westerly swell with a south-east wind, which blows offshore; even a light onshore wind spoils it. On small days it is one of the easier waves on the Taranaki coast and suits learners. Windsurfers and wingfoilers ride here in south-westerly, westerly, northerly and north-easterly winds, from easy freeride on small days to a challenging beach break when the swell is up. The village is also a common base for sailing the wave spots further along the coast, which work in winds from many directions within an hour's drive.

Rips can form between the peaks, especially in bigger swells, and the reef patches are shallow at low tide: surf with others, and between the flags when the beach is patrolled. The water is about 14 °C in August and 19 °C in February: a 4/3 in winter, a 3/2 in summer. Taranaki Base Hospital in New Plymouth is about 20 minutes away.

Month by month at Ōakura – Taranaki

January: 5 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 0.6 m, water 20°C, air 22°C (nights 16°C), 27 sunny days, 14 rainy days
February: 6 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 0.7 m, water 19°C, air 22°C (nights 16°C), 25 sunny days, 13 rainy days
March: 6 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 0.9 m, water 19°C, air 20°C (nights 14°C), 28 sunny days, 12 rainy days
April: 8 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 1 m, water 18°C, air 19°C (nights 14°C), 24 sunny days, 14 rainy days
May: 9 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 1.2 m, water 17°C, air 17°C (nights 11°C), 23 sunny days, 13 rainy days
June: 9 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 1.4 m, water 16°C, air 15°C (nights 10°C), 23 sunny days, 16 rainy days
July: 11 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 11 knots, waves 1.6 m, water 15°C, air 14°C (nights 9°C), 23 sunny days, 16 rainy days
August: 6 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 1.6 m, water 14°C, air 14°C (nights 9°C), 24 sunny days, 15 rainy days
September: 13 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 12 knots, waves 1.4 m, water 14°C, air 15°C (nights 10°C), 24 sunny days, 19 rainy days
October: 10 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 11 knots, waves 1.2 m, water 15°C, air 16°C (nights 11°C), 25 sunny days, 20 rainy days
November: 6 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 1 m, water 17°C, air 18°C (nights 13°C), 25 sunny days, 17 rainy days
December: 7 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 0.8 m, water 18°C, air 20°C (nights 15°C), 27 sunny days, 18 rainy days