damm i love this city,its the hole shit right here,so we did it again yesterday me, xl,boot,tomy,after doin the mission bay thang,it turned real westy styles,so we snatched a feed at BK and hauled ase to the coast,it started slowly but as soon as gav pissed off, it was game ON,i was on xls 20,passed it bac to him and hooked up on my 9 and we all rode out the sundowner ,not bad at all,much thanks...... b safe all

yep you gotta love a place that has good conditions nearly every day

and beaches for every single wind direction, and backup beaches at that incase the primary beach is too crowded...

yeah man AK rocks!

Don't wanna piss on everyones picnic- but to proclaim Auckland an amazing kite location after one good days riding is a bit enthusiastic.

You guys seem to easily forget the last weeks 5 knot grovels with 22m kites, and the hours spent sitting on the beach at Misery waiting for that forecast 20knt NW which never shows.

Looks like another week of high no-particular direction confused 5 knot breeze for this coming week too looking at the long range forecast ( I hope I'm wrong!)

While every time you see the national map the South Island is getting blown away while we sit in a big steaming high, and where the hell are all those easterlies that I remember years ago...

And please don't tell me about afternoon thermals, funneling through the Manukau/ pine Harbour Tamaki etc, cos I've been chasing those around too with very little success.

I've had some awesome sessions here whilst I've lived in Aucks, but its been hard going scoring them, with big sacrifices to the job, partner and countless hours fighting through traffic, waiting on beaches, and driving many kms.

I reckon that Auckland is so difficult to have a sesh in, that most kiters give up within months of buying their shiny new kit. Only the brainless hard-core stick with it.

Aucks has got lots going for it, but i'm sure theres better places in the world to kite.

Oh well, looks like the trees are fluffing a bit out the window, I might head down to the Tamaki, if I'm lucky I can score a gusty puffy 8 knot sesh on my 20m, and only have to slide 400m over low tide mud and oysters to get it!!

patience and perseverence all Jaffa kiters!!!

Dude, you sound pretty unhappy! Dont worry i am starting to get grumpy too - i havent had sesh this year!

AK aint that bad..last November seemd to have wind nearly every day, And Dec was ok too.

As for Jan, well thats a totally different story all together.....

But is all been out of the west, hasnt it ! Not many (if any) easterlies and I think none over 18kn since sometime in October - can anyone remember a summer without a decent easterly???

Perhaps you should pull your heads out of the sand then. Had a great 12m Fri morning sesh at Meola for 2 hours (until it crapped out), then it musta been OK on Sat 'caouse I had to drive for a wedding and the bride was gettin blowed around, then again on Sun avo with the 17 at Orewa dodging kiddies in the water and scoping scantily clad chicks with big hooters sunbathing for 1.5 hours in the avo - nothin but boardies! So 3 seshs in 3 days ain't so bad...

gezzz jaffa,wat can i say dude,oh yeah i had a ride at taka yesterday,lol,8 kts sea breeze on my 16.maybe u all need bigger rags,or lighter bods.but all joking aside,wat i was saying IS how cool it is to ride both coasts on the same day,try that in africa,or aussie...

no offence Jaffa Kaffa but you abilty to hunt wind leaves a lot to be desired... either that or i have the ultimate in light wind kites!!! i meanb my 20m AERO has me fully powered in 5 knots!!! what a legendary kite man....

My point being is that you fall into the same trap as everyone else that grizzles abvout Auckland's wind... you don't know where to go... you don't know a thing about the weather and because of that you can't find the wind.... why the blinken hell would you wanna go to mission bay in the middle of summer anyway??? don't you know of any other spots to kite... all i hear you talk about is pt chev, shoal bay and mission bay... places that in their respective wind direction work well but at on their off days have given people sessions to forget....

all i hear you go on about is topless ho's and palm trees and parties and shit.... and how ihumateo rd smells like dead bodies.... dude who gives a mummas butt... the wind there kicks ass, totally and the slight smell of decomposing matter isn't gonna get betwen me and a solid 25 knots.

Your remarks about the Maunkau harbour are full of crap... it doesn't take a rocket scientist to just look at the Awhitu meter and see there is allways a nice breeze blowin there... sure it's not quite like the sea breezes last season there but it's still PLENTY for you 20m AERO man... there is enough at hiua for my 12m X2. i've been there, sampled it, done it for myself... there is wind there.

As for Tamaki estuary being crap.... your shitting me right?? I live just down the road from it.... it's been crankin every day... 15 knots there, some days have been much more ... please don't tell me that a kite with the balls of a 20m aero can't lug your skinny ass about in 15 knots.

So you like pretty things, and topless girls and swaying palm trees and nice blue water and stuff... well why don't you go to Fiji?? Oh I allmost forgot... you hated it THERE too...

I was jokin last time I said good riddence to ya but after firing parting shots like that just because your fuckin off to Capetown I'm now startin to mean it.

And one more thing... all you "troppos" out there who can't handle the cold and just can't stand the thought of being in a wetsuit... take up knitting instead.

And you guys need to realise one very important point... summer is NOT Auckland's best kiting season... once again November is mentioned isn't it... wind every day... yes there is... strong wind every day... how the hell can you diss 20+ knots every day? Spring is the mint season in Auckland, summer has wind every day too but some of the days are lighter 10-15 knots... still plently to kite in. Winter has the odd light day but many days rock then too. Autumn's where you wanna B if you want the easterlies... still pretty good winds, a few light days but many days 15 knots and over... you just need to b in the right spots.... we get wind from every direction, every sort of terrain you wanna ride in, we have it... if you don't like it then GET OUT and stop bitchin!

a lot of the Auckland bashing comes from troppos and people who hide under their bed when the water temp drops below 25 degrees, people who can't handle real wind, people who just won't kite unless there is a beach full of titties staring back at them..so you wanna impress the girlies eh? they ain't impressed, they're too busy gazing at the dude who comes from Auckland and can handle anyhting that comes his way becuse he's learnt in the city that's nicknamed after a pastime that requires exactly the same conditions that kiters require.

November DID have wind every day... and it was strong wind too..


Hey man last summer was even more westerly orientated than this one... the N Sea Breeze never had much to fill in l;ast summer as the SW one from the Manukau was allready tearin it's way across the city. Last season i noticed that Autumn had the easterly winds, the place to be last summer was Huia but this time round the Northerly thermal has had a chance to wind up due to the SW thermal being only 15 knots... so i've had 15 knots right on my doorstep, flat water, no crowds, no worries......

I just got back from a surfing trip to the goldie and there were dudes out pretty much everyday on the thermals in the surf.

point being?

Holy shit Blown Away! Such anger!!!

Three posts in a row, loaded double barrels firing.

Did I mention hooters on the beach, palm trees, tropical waters?

Please lets not get personal, I can fire too,

all I was trying to say was that Auckland is a difficult place to kite, that you need alot of patience, a very understanding job/ family and a full fuel tank if you wanna get out regularly, and the weather lately has been very hot, with little reliable wind- (5 knot 20m sessions don't count)

As it happens I was out at Tamaki yesterday evening, and I had a stonking session fully lit up on my 20m, Sunshine too...

johnienz - you crack me up dude..
You kiting with that great big balloon.

I feel like Puff The Magic Dragon... going for a dip kiting next to you.

I can see both sides of what Blown away and Jaffa.. are saying
Sunday was spent at Omeha as I was trying to avoid the crowds and enjoy a bit of surf. HOWEVER cursing got the better of me.
It does not matter were you live or how great any place is.. When the wind is blowing 10 knots, we all through out our toys. Its the addictive nature of the sport taking over.. Craving for a good session ALL THE TIME.

The worst is when some one comes up to you and ask you, how long have you been learning for? All because you are still trying to kite when there is F$%^ all wind !
And look like a plonker !! I some times feel like Japetto has the better of me (you can work that one out)

Blown away - we have all heard that saying Quote If you dont like it then leave. Remember this is a forum and any one should be able to voice opinion even if its not what you want to hear. You seem to know a lot of good spots around Auckland. If you have the time to document these spots please do. There are a lot of us who would like to try new places. This will also take pressure off beaches that are now crowded.

SW seems to be the more predominant wind in Auckland Leaving 3 spots that I know of that are good (Murawai, Shake S and Shoal Bay) They are all quite a mission to get to after work except for Shoal Bay.. Which never seems to have water.
.. sniffle.. Hence the fact a good SE would improve my spirits.

Jaffa Kaffa I spent 6 months kiting in Cape Town every day. You are going to have your lul weeks with crap wind. The cold water is also going to be a shock to the system !! as you are aware. Have a good time and let us know how it all goes.
I have 2 beach cottages on kite beach !! Let me know when you get there and I will sort you out a spot if you need one J

Laters

thanks for the offer madness, might drop you a line when I get there, I'll be based in the garden route for a while too, hopefully score some akshun in some of the worlds sharkiest waters...

Will miss the auckland kiting crew, and all the good times and big sessions over the years...

Cheers

Hey Jaffa Kaffa, I agree, the Jan/Feb months are not the best in AUckland, and when the high sits over AUckland for weeks, it means the surf is pumping on the west coast, so don't moan about the lack of wind, praise the glassy swells! The surf in the late summer months is epic, and only 45 mins drive away. I think if you take the effort to do the mission down to Gisborne or Hawkes bay during a weekend, you are garanteed a 15-20 knot sea breeze in the afternoons during those highs! (due to the large landamass. Certainly not worth hanging around Auckland if you feel that way..
Well hope SA turns it on for you, keep in contact, never know, one day....how many people did you say your house sleeps?

hey madness sorry dude but i cant help being a skinny arse micro,and i know u guys are sick of sitting on the beach watchin me when the blows low,but dont diss my rags ok. lov 2 all... 8)