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Point Chevalier Beach

Auckland · Point Chevalier

also known as Pt Chev, Point Chevalier, The Chev

Part of Auckland →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlymedium crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Nov–Apr

Months riders and schools name

How windy

10-18 kt

Character: synoptic · cross-shore

Room to launch

Plenty of room once you are on the water: it is a big shallow area with space for several learners. The rigging ground is a small park with trees, so lines and kites have to stay clear of walkers, dogs and playground users.

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

20.9 °C in summerUrban inner-Waitemata spot: shallow water, a sand beach and foreshore, flat to choppy with no waves or small ones

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy December January February March

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

Auckland Airport (AKL)

Transfer times under Getting there

When it fills in

There is no daily clock here. What works is westerly and frontal wind, not a sea breeze, so it can be in at dawn, fill in behind a front at any hour or blow through the night; that is why the spot runs as an after-work session ten minutes from the CBD rather than a fixed afternoon window. Rain fronts arrive white and fast and clear just as fast, and the strongest gusts come with them. Plan on the tide and the forecast, not on a time of day. No hour-by-hour local record was found.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Meola Reef / Herne Bay
Shoal Bay / Bayswater
Cheltenham Beachno page yet
Eastern Beachno page yet
Muriwaino page yet
Jenkins Bayno page yet

The spot

Point Chevalier Beach is an urban harbour spot west of the Auckland CBD, on the inner Waitemata, and it is where a lot of Auckland riders had their first lesson.

Wind

Westerly-sector wind is what works: SSW, SW, WSW and W most consistently, with NW and general westerlies also named. The wind rolls over the Waitakere Range before it gets here, so expect gusty frontal air rather than a clean sea breeze.

Water and bottom

The water is shallow and goes flat near a sandbar, choppy elsewhere, and there are shells on the bottom.

Launch and tide

Rigging is on the grass at the Walker Road end by Eric Armishaw Park, and from there it is a short walk to water or a long one over exposed flats depending on the tide.

Water temperature

Average water is 20.9 C in February and 15.3 C in August, so most of the year you want a wetsuit.

Crowds and safety

The beach fills with swimmers and families at high tide, and you have to keep at least 50 m clear of anyone in the water when moving faster than 5 kt (2026).

Tide advice

Tide advice contradicts itself across everything written about this place, so ask on the beach before you commit to a window.

The wind

Direction

cross-shoreSSW to W

Kite sizes

45678910111213141516

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

For New Zealand generally, a 12-14 m, a 9-10 m and a 5-6 m cover the range. No Point Chevalier-specific quiver figure was found.

Character

synoptic

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

Typical strength

About 10-18 kt rideable days are typical from forecast/stat sources, with stronger gusts during fronts; monthly averages are 10-13 kt and older station statistics average 9 kt with 13 kt gusts.

Often gusty in westerly and frontal flow. The wind rolls over the Waitakere Range before it reaches the beach.

January-April and November-December are high season, May-October medium. Auckland's regional climate has prevailing southwesterlies and summer sea breezes, but what works at Point Chevalier is westerly and frontal wind rather than a reliable thermal.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan, riders' month54
Feb, riders' month51
Mar, riders' month52
Apr, riders' month56
May58
Jun62
Jul65
Aug47
Sep68
Oct70
Nov, riders' month53
Dec, riders' month45

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Nov, Dec.

12 ktJan23°
12 ktFeb23°
12 ktMar21°
12 ktApr19°
13 ktMay17°
13 ktJun15°
14 ktJul14°
11 ktAug13°
13 ktSep15°
13 ktOct17°
12 ktNov19°
11 ktDec21°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds.

Every figure, month by monthForce 4+ · Knots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Force 4+	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	54%	12 kt	NE	19.8 °C	23.3 °C
Feb	51%	12.3 kt	NNE	19.7 °C	22.6 °C
Mar	52%	11.6 kt	SW	17.7 °C	21.1 °C
Apr	56%	12.2 kt	SW	16.5 °C	19 °C
May	58%	12.8 kt	WSW	14 °C	16.5 °C
Jun	62%	12.5 kt	WSW	12.4 °C	14.6 °C
Jul	65%	13.5 kt	WSW	11.6 °C	13.5 °C
Aug	47%	11.3 kt	SW	11.1 °C	13.1 °C
Sep	68%	13.2 kt	WSW	12.8 °C	15 °C
Oct	70%	13.3 kt	SW	14 °C	16.5 °C
Nov	53%	11.8 kt	SW	15.9 °C	18.9 °C
Dec	45%	11.1 kt	SW	18.4 °C	21.3 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · 2022-2024

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

Shallow harbour water is repeatedly described by kite sources; low tide exposes a long walk/mudflat-style intertidal area.

Tides

Rideable at any tide, but the tide decides what kind of session it is.Two hours either side of high water a sandbar closes off a small patch of flat water for about an hour; outside that it is chop.At high water you walk straight off the sand into the water.At low water it is roughly a ten-minute walk over exposed shallows, mud and shells before there is anything to ride, and space right at the top of the tide is tight against the beach.

Temperature

20.9 °C summer · 15.3 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 13–23 °C

Wetsuit

Average water temperature is 20.9 °C in February and 15.3 °C in August, so a wetsuit is prudent outside the warmest summer sessions; winter water is wetsuit-required.

Conditions

Urban inner-Waitemata spot: shallow water, a sand beach and foreshore, flat to choppy with no waves or small ones. Point Chev Beach is calm most of the time and a high-tide swimming beach.

The flat water sits around a sandbar near high tide, with chop the rest of the time. Check the current water-quality status for Point Chevalier before riding.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Local operators teach beginners here, and better riders use it too. Beginners still need supervision: the launch is tight, the wind is gusty, the bottom is shallow and shelly, and the beach is busy with swimmers at high tide.

The scene

What riders come here for

beginner lessonsafter-work urban sessionsflat-water practiceshallow-water progression

Who it suitsbeginners

Urban local spot shared with learners, swimmers, families and park users; summer high-tide beach days can be busy, while kite sessions depend on westerly/frontal wind.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

2 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: Plenty of room once you are on the water: it is a big shallow area with space for several learners. The rigging ground is a small park with trees, so lines and kites have to stay clear of walkers, dogs and playground users.

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

7 spots nearby

All 7 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

No dedicated kite rescue service found. The spot is inside Auckland's urban harbour with shore access, but riders should self-rescue and check live water quality/safety notices.

Launch

Rigging is on the grass in Eric Armishaw Park at the end of Walker Road, which is where the schools and local groups meet; parking is at that end and Coyle Park has a free council car park. At high water you walk straight in from the sand. At low water it is about a ten-minute walk out, and a drift launch is the normal way to start because there is usually nobody down at the waterline to hold a kite for you.

Hazards riders report 14 reported

Wind

Gusty westerly/frontal wind is noted.
Gusty westerly and frontal wind that rolls over the Waitakere Range with no room to clean up.
Rain fronts that arrive out of nowhere and leave as quickly, with the wind swinging and spiking as they pass.

Bottom

Shells on the seabed/foreshore are listed as a hazard.
Shells on the seabed and foreshore; booties earn their place, especially on the walk out.

Waves and currents

Low tide can leave a long walk over exposed shallows/mud/shells before reaching water.
Point Chev Beach is a popular high-tide swimming/family beach, so swimmers and beach users are a practical hazard and right-of-way concern.
Water quality changes with rain and overflows; a current modelled health-risk status is published for Point Chevalier.
Low tide leaves a walk of about ten minutes over exposed shallows, mud and shells before there is water.
Usually nobody at the waterline to launch you at low tide, so a drift launch has to be a skill you already have.
A popular high-tide swimming and family beach, so swimmers and beach users are a real right-of-way problem.

Other

Trees and limited launch space are noted; keep kites low and lines clear around park users.
Trees and limited launch space in the park: keep the kite low and the lines clear of other people.
Water quality changes with rain and overflows; a modelled health-risk status is published for Point Chevalier.

Rules & access

1 min read

2026 harbour water-safety rules require windsurfers and kitesurfers to keep clear of people in the water and to hold at least 50 m separation when travelling faster than 5 kt.

No 2026 Point Chevalier-specific kite permit, kite zone or seasonal kiting ban was found in official sources during this research.

Council beach dog rules and swimmer use still affect how crowded the beach is.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Ask a local rider or a school which tide window is working now, because the published advice splits between high tide, any tide and low tide.
Wear booties if you are learning or walking out at low tide; shells are the hazard that comes up again and again.
Treat the westerlies as gusty frontal wind rather than clean thermal, and size down for it.
Keep at least 50 m off swimmers and never fly the kite over people on the grass or the sand (2026).
Check the water-quality status for Point Chevalier after rain or a wastewater event before you get in.
For flat water, aim for the two hours either side of high tide when the sandbar screens off a smooth patch; it lasts about an hour.
Learn a drift launch before you come. At low tide the water is a ten-minute walk away and there is nobody down there to help.
Watch upwind for white rain fronts. They bring the gusts and they arrive faster than you can land.

Getting there

Airport

Auckland Airport (AKL)

Route

Drive or rideshare from Auckland Airport, or take the bus. For kiting, aim for Walker Road and Eric Armishaw Park; regular buses run down Point Chevalier Road, and Coyle Park has a free council car park.

Transfer

About 18-28 minutes by car from Auckland Airport to Pt Chevalier in light/normal traffic; public transport to Point Chevalier Beach is commonly around 1.5 hours depending on connections.

Cost level

medium

Staying

Stay in the Auckland city centre, the central-west suburbs, or one of the few Point Chevalier holiday rentals. There is no kite-resort scene at the beach; this is a city suburb.

No-wind days

Point Chevalier Beach swimming/pontoon at high tide, Coyle Park and Eric Armishaw Reserve walks/playgrounds, Auckland Zoo, MOTAT, Western Springs Park, cafes in Point Chev, and west-coast surf/beach missions such as Muriwai when conditions suit.

Photos

FAQ

Is Point Chevalier Beach suitable for beginners?

Yes, several local schools use Point Chevalier for lessons because of its shallow water and city access, though supervision helps with gusty wind and shells underfoot.

What is the wind like at Point Chevalier?

The spot works mainly in westerly-sector wind (W to NW), often gusty as it rolls over the Waitakere Range, typically 10-18 knots.

Are there kite schools at Point Chevalier?

Ricky Rush Kitesurfing, Wings & Waves and Aerial Kiteboarding all use Point Chevalier as a teaching venue.

What are the hazards at Point Chevalier?

Shells on the seabed, gusty westerly wind, and swimmers at the popular high-tide family beach are the main hazards to watch for.

The bigger pictureEverything about Auckland

Last updated: August 2026