WA is off due to a certain airline's sexist staff policy, don't get me started...

So it's NZ now for 4 weeks. Hurrah! Taking my 11m kite and board. I'm a real beginner (longest wobble on the board = 10 seconds) and wondered if anyone had any spot suggestions. How about Raglan? I think there's a good estuary/lagoon S of Christchurch too, non?

Off to NZ in 2 weeks, all the way round the bay of plenty just below Auckland is s'possed to be good, Top end of south island round Nelson too. west coast of north is very rough and wild only recommended for advanced or waves. other than that sound cold and rough till xmas.
try these guys their pretty helpfull. http://www.windscene.co.nz/contactus

Hi Ajdesq
Long time no hear
As you probably saw last year from my diary entries, I did a windsurfing tour of New Zealand and sailed in the majority of windsurf/kitesurf locations in both islands for over 2 months. I missed out the Coromandel Peninsula and Lake Taupo. If you want any advice on any of the locations, just U2U me or check out my previous diary entries. I should do a beach guide for NZ and I've got loadsa potos for all the beaches.
For a beginner kitesurfing. Aucklands got pleanty of spots that would be ideal for beginners and its never usually that windy.
Bay of Pleantys great round Mt. Managanui but thats wave sailing. I fell thopugh my sail there in the logo half mast waves. Instead go to the city next door Tauranga (hour n a half South of Auckland) where theres some excellent spots for learning. Ferguson parks the spot if I remember rightly.
Raglans lovely flat water on the river mouth but the currents are super strong. 5 knots or more so I was planing in 11 knots of wind with my 6.3 sail windsurfing on an outgoing tide. Theres a school that operate there so pleanty of beginners around.

The best place by far that I've seen throughout the whole of NZ for learning to Kitesurf or even windsurf was the estuary at Christchurch. 15 min drive from the city centre. The waters pretty brown from the mud there but when it fills up, its about waist high in every spot and the size of Ynslas estuary!
The winds pretty consistent throughout the summer with the Easterly sea breeze kicking in every afternoon. Theres 2 shops next door selling both windsurfing/kitesurfing kit and one of thems Underground the kiteboard manufacturer.
Hope this helps

Jonny

up near the top of the coromandel is opito bay. very remote but very pretty beaches and i had a short but fun session there

another small image of it - its nice because its such a big horse shoe i think it would work in lots of directions

Sounds great, thanks all! Funnily enough, the only areas of NZ I have left to 'do' are the Coromandel, North of Auckland, and Nelson. Sounds like I should get lucky. I guess AKL and would be great to start as I still like having the reassurance of other peeps around, and my non-kiting buddy can do something else while I'm out.

And your avatar STILL cracks me up, Jonny! Shall look forward to reading your old diary entries.