Special Thanks to: wellingtonwindsurfers.co.nz

Pauatahanui Inlet

20 minutes north of Wellington, take a right at Plimmerton about 100 meters after wavespot on your left. Then follow this road until you reach Motukaraka point on your right. This is a great place for learning, improving or racing. Works in any winddirection from east round to north. Heaps of parking, grass rigging, toilets and BBQ area. Usually less windy than Plimmerton in northerly directions, but also gustier. Watch out for rocks and shells on bottom, shoes do help ! Also watch out for the sandbar in the middle of the inlet, which I have been told will take out even a slalom fin at low tide. Ideal for beginners as water is below headhigh for quite a distance and it is really safe. In summer breezes there is heaps of casual slalom and course racing going on. From October to April, the Wild Winds windsurfing school is usually in place at the weekends.

Porirua Harbour

From Titahi Bay turnoff. Best for: Slalom, long boarding and beginners... Conditions: Southly winds. Flat and shallow water.

Lyall Bay

Wellington central's southerly wind wavespot. Sailors of all ability launch at the western end of the bay near the toilets.

Lyall bay has a fast wave, which is basically a major beachdump. Generally cross-on to more onshore, starbord wavesailing. One bottom turn is usually the most you can get out of a wave. On bigger days, the waves form nicely further out, and they can get quite big. Waves are biggest in the middle of the bay. As waves start to close out it can be gnarly to get out though. Make sure you pick up speed and go downwind first, before attempting to get over the break, so don't rigg too small a sail. Wellingtons most popular surfing spot lies at the other end of the beach, hardly any windsurfers go there as its not worth it.

Theres plenty of parking, nice rigging area and once again no shorebreak to speak of. Most of the time, Lyall Bay suits any level of wavesailing, it is safe (but cold !) and great fun. If its heavy, there usually are a couple of ripped sails and broken masts, but that's all part of the fun!

Plimmerton

Wellingtons northerly wind wavespot. Heaps of parking, changing rooms, grass rigging and a nice sandbeach. Spot is located at the railway crossing when entering Plimmerton. No shorebreak to speak of. Waves form on a sandbar in the middle of the bay. Best ~1 to 2 hours after high tide. The tides are extremely important, might be flat on an incoming tide, but headhigh waves a couple of hours later !

This is the place for learning to wavesail or to get the most air you have ever experienced. Slow wave, starbord wavesailing. Mostly cross-onshore, average headhigh wave. Most common and required winddirection is N to NW, which will produce above mentioned conditions. The more N it goes the gustier it gets. Some like this, as the waverides get more sideshore, others hate it.

A couple of times a year with the support of a big groundswell coming in from the Tasman, waves can get logohigh + on the bar and produce some great wavesailing as long as the wind does not go too far to the west. Beginner and intermediate wavesailors love the spot, as there is extremely easy access, you never will get drilled on rocks, and its a great place for shredding it up. Plimmerton is also rated by slalom sailors, in any southerly aswell as light northerly winds. Great course racing on "calm" days out to Mana Island.

Kio Bay - "The Ditch"

Central Wellington, this is probably the most frequently sailed spot in the greater Wellington area. Heaps of slalom and course racing, awell as freestyle going on here. For sailors owning racing gear, this spot is sailable probably most days of the year. From central Wellington, head around the Oriental parade past Balena Bay, until you reach Kio Bay. Works best in a true northerly or a southerly. Anything else can get a bit gusty. Big chop comes through on a strong northerly, conditions are smoother on in southerlies. Not a lot of space on the little beach on High Tide. There are heaps of other places people launch of such as near the NIWA building or the east side of the bay, which can be better to launch off in high tide.

Petone

Travel out from Wellington towards the Hutt Valley, turn off at Petone and go along the foreshore to the far end. Parking just before the road leaves the shore and rigging in the adjacent picnic area, or better still veer away from the beach past the Mobil Service Station then take the first right, go across the park and rig just behind the sand dunes. Sandy beach drops away slowly, watch out for sand bars at low tide. Petone is best during a southerly, northerlies are offshore and gusty. Good learning and course racing in light conditions.

Eastbourne

A bit of a drive from central Wellington, but worth it, as this spot offers good slalom and racing conditions in a NW which is best or southerly. Access at south side of wharf, near the Rugby Club. Gets choppy in strong northerlies. After big southerlies there can be a nasty shorebreak. Generally very consistent winds, which make for great slalom racing or course racing around Ward Island or over to Seatoun. Quite a few sailors out on weekends which rate this spot higher than central Wellington spots such as the Ditch.

 

Kapiti Coast

Not sailed too often, Kapiti coast has a reputation of having a hell of a current in northerlies aswell as in southerlies. Some sailors have reported really good wavesailing sessions though. One of the sailed spots is Paekakariki. Access is easy, take the mainroad into the village accross the railwayline, and follow the beachroad until it ends. Heaps of parking and rigging area. In a northerly, Plimmerton will have to be over the top, favourably 3.7 m2, as the wind up in Paekakariki is always much lighter. A 3.7 in Plimmerton will be a 4.5 or 5.0 in Paekakariki. If the wind is too NE for Plimmerton to get any waveaction, and its nuking, try this spot, it might be worth it. Waves can be quite grunty, but any northerly will be relatively sideshore with good down the line sailing. Head to logohigh waves are most common. However, it doesnt happen that often, and the strong current will leave any wavesailors not intermediate level or higher walking back home. In a southerly, it will have to be absolutely over the top in Wellington. There will also have to be a groundswell coming in from the west. Therefore watch for weatherpatterns, where there has been a northerly for a while, building a nice swell, then wind swings quickly to south and goes gale force. Some sailors have scored pretty epic cross-off down the line sailing in such conditions.

 

Wairarapa

Tora

Probably the most remote and hardcore spot of all. Head over the Rimutaka to Featherston, then to Martinborough where you head south towards Lake Ferry. About 1 km after leaving Martinborough, you take a left, and its signposted from there right to the beach. Martinborough to beach is about 30 minutes of driving. Once you get to the beach, turn right, and follow road for about 1 km through a very small assembly of beach batches. At the end of this little village, there is a round toilet hut near the beach.

Thats it, launch to the right of this little hut and river mouth. SW is cross to cross-offshore and its fully down the line sailing. Classic pointbreak righthander for starbord wavesailing. Outer swells get massive and the sailable wave can easily get masthigh + Picks up any kind of swell, but an E to SE swell seems to wrap in best. Watch out for the sometimes mean shorebreak and rocks below surface at launching spot. The bigger the swell, the further out the waves break and the better it gets. In small swells waves will break closer to beach where you will find occasional rocks popping out whilst going down the line.

Whatarangi point

From Martinborough, turn south, and keep going towards Lake ferry. A short while after Pirinoa, turn left towards Cape Palliser, you will finally get to Whatarangi village. Spot is on your right, you will not miss it. There is a little 4 WD track 50 meters long. That is where you park and launch. Pointbreak lefthander, better at lowish tide.

Porttack wavesailing. The wave sometimes runs a long way through to the Bombora further out. Wave can be 200 meters long in good conditions. Wind needs to be S to SE, anything SW will make this cross onshore and not much fun. A couple of rocks below water at launching point, but not too hardcore. In moderate days very suitable for beginner to intermediate wavesailors. Can also be sailed in a northerly, but there needs to be a good southswell coming in, else it will be blown flat. Waveface is quite smooth in southerlies, but choppy in northerlies.

Dumps

Keep on going past Whatarangi for about 2-3 km until the road makes a significant bend to the left. The point will be on your right side. There is a 4 WD track which takes you down to the point, beware of deep sand. The spot picks up heaps of swell. The rest of the coast might be flat, but still a logohigh wave may be running here. The point is also the windiest in a S or SE. There is a channel to the left of the major rocks in the middle of the bay. The break is upwind about 100 meters.

Pointbreak, lefthander, porttack wavesailing. Very smooth, clean wave. In a big swell, High Tide is best, in a small swell, lowish tide seems to work better. Holds very big swells. This spot has become legendary after the whole Wellington crew made a trip over here and scored it perfectly. 20 sailors out made it just about crowded, but considering you'll have it for your own the rest of the year, thats probably ok. The wave is easy to ride, as long as you don't ride it to the very end on the inside. If you do, there is a chance you will end up with ripped sails and broken masts. Believe it or not, but despite the massive wavesize, this spot is actually sailable for beginner to intermediate wavesailors, as you can actually sail around the break without having to cross the incoming waves. Start your waveride as much upwind as your confidence allows to.