At Cheltenham this afternoon a kiter bailed out of his kite- while still on the beach- kite and lines went trough several sun bathers and into a house. The same kiter later had a mad, out of control downwind ride and knocked over a woman standing in the shallow water.
At Takapuna a few days ago another beginner standing at the waters edge the kite right across the beach hovering just above the sand and the kiter trying his modest best to relaunch. People were walking through his lines .
More incidents in the last few days- a child getting hit in the face with kite lines, kiting at cheltenham at hightide when there is hardly any beach and that bit of beach is packed with people. Again an out of control kite. Beginners have to stay away from crowded beaches.

Hubert

Ouch..... it's been while since bathers have had to contend with kiters and polies for this amount of time. It's been a week of NE winds now and some beachgoers are probably gonna wonder when it is all gonna end. I mean with westerlies most of the spots we kite at aren't very popular swimmin or sunbathin spots. Gee i wonder if any bans are gonna eventuate due to this persistant period of Northeasterlies and sun. It's not just beginners either, depowerlines that snap when no safety is used in crowded spots is just askin for trouble. Orewa must have been fully packed yesterday as some of you northerners (team Wipika) ended coming up paying us a visit. Good show guys, next time i'll get some better pics. I hope the antics of the last few days doesn't result in bamns being imposed.... we don't wanna become like ozzie now do we?

You will be surprised how many people have been taken out over the past few days. On Friday the council came down to Takapuna and asked all kite surfers to be more careful. They are discussing zoning or banning... Some one took out some one on the beach at Mirangi Bay last week. They said this caused a lot of complaints.

Whats up with Instructing on Takapuna beach on a hot summers day ??? :?

kiting at takas on a hot summers day is a pretty stupid idea... infact any east coast beach on a hot summers day is gonna be too crowded for kiting properly... unless of course it's over 20 knots.... strong winds clear the beach somewhat.

In the evening it's far quieter and hence is the best time to kite in these sorta conditions.

Hey all yous dumb-ass learner kooks, get the f##k of Takapuna beach, especially the twat with the gay pink Cabrinha kite who had absolutely no idea that the upwind rider KEEPS THEIR KITE HIGH so the downwind riders (ie: everyone else) can pass underneath. Congratulations on scything through everyone, 10 near tangles and then finally tagging little Jamie and dragging the both of you up the beach. Dick. Was everyone else invisible?

At least have some kind of idea of how to kite and what to do before you turn up on a crowded beach. OK - its all a little cutting edge dodging swimmers and that's kinda fun, and who are we to tell you where to kite, but hey - that's just the way it is. Wise up. The situation is not getting any better. Someone or some official body is going to do something sooner or later - sooner with you around being stupid.

Sorry - it's my time of the month.

All I have to say is........ don't kite at city beaches when it's crowded with public/swimmers!Of course if you are on limited time/can't travel and the wind is good, then it can be tempting - but it just ain't worth the trouble.
How good is it really if you have to dodge 18 other kiters, pole boarders, little johnnie and his 17 cousins, nanna doing her lengths of the beach and every other jaffa and his dog?

If you are goign to kite then make sure you have half a clue of what you are doing and stay well clear of swimmers/public.

keep it safe and keep it legal.

Helpful info for those new to kiting:

Safety of 3rd parties is the most important thing (ie swimmers sunbathers surfers walkers-- whatever)
To keep them safe you keep your distance - if there is no safe room all the time you have your kite in the air- you cannot go kiting - you need to go somewhere else.

If you want to risk yourself that's all part of the fun but risking someones elses health that does not understand the dangers of kiteboarding is just bloody stupid - nearly everyone I have seen rides with respect - but just recently there have been more 'what on earth are they doing' and 'what planet do they come from' comments

So...when we talk distance - we are not talking 20 or 30 foot - your lines are near 90ft long - and the ends of them go the fastest with the most power.. - If your level is lower - your buffer zone has to be way bigger than this because if you did not already know - one accidental loop of your kite(due to inexperience/gear failure/human error) in 13 knots+ is going to send you another 30 or 40 ft+ and nothing on this earth is going to stop you on your way

the only reason rules get made is when people start taking the piss - NZ has less than most places in the world - which is one of the many things that is great about it


Councils and the general public don't understand as well as you do - so keep the decisions in your hands
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Just been reading through some of the old threads and came across this one. As a kiting newbie, it was seeing everyone out at places like Takapuna that made me want to try the sport in the first place. However I know I need get things well under control before trying kiting there due to how many people use the beach.

My question is, if newbies like myself should stay away from beaches that are good for kiting, and hence crowded, then where should we go to practise? Looking on the NZ kiting websites guides for suggestions, the only beaches recommended are ones that are already very popular (especially where Auckland is concerned).

Azza

Azza .. it may not have white sandy beach or be the perfect spot... but Te atatu penninsula on a north to nor east and pt chev for south to norwest will always have plenty of water with no one swimming or sun bathing....(strange that) ! just give yourself plenty of room out from shore... and enjoy the space... but learn from an experienced kiter I saw get hoisted onto the rocks only days ago... caught by a gust as he approached the car park with kite in the air! Drop your kite out in the water and bundle it.... otherwise one gust and you can be dead meat.....
fortunately said kiter escaped with minor injuries.....

Hey azza out bucklands beach way there are plenty of uncrowded spots facing all wind directions. Apart from Eastern Beach the spots around here are uncrowded even during summer. In failing that you can allways go to the Manukau Harbour. No-one swimming there either and lot's of uncrowded spots. Flat, shallow water and great wind too. I don't know where you live but if it's in the north shore i'm assuming the traffic/travel etc is putting you off kiting at Auckland's other spots. Don't learn where it's crowded though... we only just escaped getting bans imposed on the Eastern spots this time round. Now is the best time to start getting the basics sussed. From now till December there shouldn't be much in the way of crowds.

Thanks for the great replies. Guess really it's just about taking the time to look for new spots to learn. I come from a Windsurfing background so am just used to rocking up to mission bay, shoal bay, pt chev or Takapuna and just heading out because I know the conditions will be great there on the day. Now onwards to finding some gear.. but that's another topic.

Cheers,
Azza

Here are some good learner spots:

Bramley Bch: HT, N - NE
Eastern Bch outside of summer: LT - MT, N - SE
Pine Harbour: HT, NW - SSW
Shakespear Bay weekdays before 4pm outside of summer: LT - MT, S - SW.
Ihumateo Rd (don't go alone): HT, S - NW.

I bet there are plenty more spots great for learning... especially when the wind is light and steady 10-15 knots and it's not during summer.

Good replies guys, and all valid.
After 5 years of the sport I've seen my fair share of stupidity from Kitesurfers "AND" the general public. Nelson has had its fair share of drama in the past, not only with the airport but with learners being a little nieve who's around them when crashing kites on the sand, and swimmers thinking it's hell funny going swimming with there family in amongst a squadron of 20 kites going hard :twisted: on a certain part of the beach.

All kitesurfers including beginners, "BE SELF POLICING"
-Beginners, tell people walking down wind of you or around you to stay well clear.
-Kiters approach idiots and tell them the way it is.
-approach beginners and give them a heads up and perhaps some tips when there's other people around.
-Beginners ask one of the lads if your unsure, It'll boost there ego's if anything :shock:

There arn't really any restrictions on the sport so we've gotta be the cops
Be Safe otherwise bannings will happen
The Government were a phone call short of doing it in Nelson