MapNew ZealandAucklandSt HeliersAuckland

St Heliers

Auckland

also known as St. Heliers Bay

Part of Auckland →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

flat waterbeginner-friendlymedium crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Hazards
- Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Jun–Feb

Months riders and schools name

How windy

9 kt

Character: mixed

Room to launch

medium

access rules on record, below

Water

flat

20 °C in summerWater temperatures here are derived from nearby Auckland and Takapuna/Hauraki Gulf figures, not from a St Heliers sensor

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to intermediate

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy Dec Jan Feb

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

30 min

Auckland Airport (AKL)

When it fills in

Afternoon build. Measured at the Auckland airport readings over 2024-2025, the nearest long hourly record and 20 km south of the bay, means run about 7 kt overnight, 9 kt by mid-morning, 11-12 kt from midday to late afternoon, then back to 9-10 kt in the evening. Frontal days ignore that pattern and blow through at any hour. No measurement at the bay itself, and a city beach behind a headland will not match an airport.

Nearbystraight-line distance

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

Kohimaramano page yet
Mission Bayno page yet
Tamaki Pointno page yet
Takapunano page yet

The spot

St Heliers sits on Tamaki Drive in eastern Auckland, a city beach that has been a local kite spot for years. The water goes knee-deep and butter-flat 2-3 hours before low tide, and that window is the whole reason to come.

Wind directions

NW to N is the direction riders want; NE and E arrive side-shore to cross-onshore along the East Coast Bays and still work. Stay off the eastern end, which sits in wind shadow, and keep clear of the marked swim lane.

Who rides here

Beginners and intermediates on a twin-tip get the most out of it; if you want waves or big air, ride somewhere else.

Water and practicalities

Summer water is around 20 C and winter around 14 C, so a thin suit in the warm months and a 3/2 or 4/3 the rest of the year. Cafes line Tamaki Drive right behind the sand, which is pleasant in December and also means swimmers everywhere.

The wind

locals call it NE summer breeze and frontal/synoptic Auckland winds

Direction

onshoreNW to N

Direction to shore

NW to N is the preferred sector; NE and E come in side-shore to onshore/cross-onshore on the bay.

Dominant direction

NW to N, with NE and E also ridden.

Kite sizes

45678910111213141516

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

A New Zealand travelling quiver of 12-14 m, 9-10 m and 5-6 m covers the range. Nothing St Heliers-specific has been published.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Typical strength

No measurement at the bay. Measured at the Auckland airport readings over 2024-2025, the wind averages about 9 kt across the year and about 11 kt in the middle of the day, reaches 15 kt or more in roughly 15% of hours and 20 kt or more in about 4%. September and October carry the most strong-wind hours, June and July the fewest. Treat it as a regional floor rather than a St Heliers number.

Flat urban water that works across a wide spread of directions, with the eastern end of the beach dead in the wind shadow.

Auckland is kitable year-round and is windiest in winter and spring. The East Coast Bays also pick up a NE breeze through summer.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan, riders' month66
Feb, riders' month65
Mar60
Apr62
May66
Jun, riders' month73
Jul, riders' month73
Aug, riders' month51
Sep, riders' month72
Oct, riders' month77
Nov, riders' month64
Dec, riders' month54

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.

13 ktJan23°
14 ktFeb23°
13 ktMar21°
14 ktApr19°
14 ktMay17°
14 ktJun15°
15 ktJul14°
12 ktAug13°
14 ktSep15°
15 ktOct17°
13 ktNov19°
12 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	66%	13.3 kt	NE	20.3 °C	23.3 °C
Feb	65%	13.6 kt	NNE	20.2 °C	22.6 °C
Mar	60%	12.7 kt	SSW	18.4 °C	21.1 °C
Apr	62%	13.5 kt	SSW	17.3 °C	19 °C
May	66%	14.3 kt	SW	14.8 °C	16.5 °C
Jun	73%	13.9 kt	NW	13.3 °C	14.6 °C
Jul	73%	15 kt	WSW	12.3 °C	13.5 °C
Aug	51%	12.3 kt	SW	11.7 °C	13.1 °C
Sep	72%	14.4 kt	WSW	13.4 °C	15 °C
Oct	77%	14.5 kt	SW	14.6 °C	16.5 °C
Nov	64%	13.2 kt	SW	16.4 °C	18.9 °C
Dec	54%	12.1 kt	SW	18.9 °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

flat

Standing depth

Knee-deep and butter-flat 2-3 hours before low tide, with the flat area reportedly running about 300 m out across the bay.

Tides

Any tide is reportedly workable, but 2-3 hours before low is the best window. About 3 hours either side of low is also given as the ideal; which one locals actually use is unconfirmed.

Temperature

20 °C summer · 14 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 13–23 °C

Wetsuit

Wear a thin suit even in the warm months; winter and spring want a 3/2 or 4/3.

Conditions

Water temperatures here are derived from nearby Auckland and Takapuna/Hauraki Gulf figures, not from a St Heliers sensor.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

not for advanceds here

The low-tide flat water is good ground for learning, but this is a public city beach with a swim lane and a dead patch at the eastern end.

The scene

What riders come here for

flat waterfreeride

Who it suitsbeginner

A local Auckland flat-water beach, cafes across Tamaki Drive and swimmers in the water beside you.

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: medium

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

7 spots nearby

All 7 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Launch

Launch anywhere on the sand. The club riders mostly go from beside the boat ramp.

Rules & access

1 min read

Swimming area and speed limits

2021, still in force: St Heliers Beach carries a reserved area for swimmers under the Auckland Council Navigation Bylaw 2021 and its Specific Areas and Conditions of Use Control 2021, which commenced 14 August 2021. A kiteboard is a vessel under that bylaw, so the marked swimming area is closed to you and its markers beat any map.

The 5-knot limit within 200 m of shore does not apply to board sports ridden with due regard for other water users, but the 5-knot limit within 50 m of any person in the water or any other vessel does apply, and the published guidance for kitesurfers is to keep clear of anyone swimming.

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

Ride the window 2-3 hours before low tide, when the shallows go knee-deep and flat.
Launch near the boat ramp, where the club riders rig.
Skip the eastern end of the beach: it sits in wind shadow.
Give the marked swim lane a wide berth, and a wider one on hot summer weekends.
Bring a thin suit even in January; summer water only reaches about 20 C.
The swim area is a reserved area under the city navigation bylaw, not a courtesy line, and where buoys are placed they override any map.
Wind builds through the day here: the middle of the afternoon averages four or five knots more than the morning.

Getting there

Airport

Auckland Airport (AKL)

Route

St Heliers is on Auckland's eastern Tamaki Drive waterfront, about 24 km by road from Auckland Airport, or about 1 hour 30 minutes by public transport.

Transfer

30 min

Cost level

high

Staying

Beds are in the Auckland CBD, the waterfront suburbs or the eastern bays. Nothing sits on the launch itself.

No-wind days

Ferry out to Rangitoto Island, take a Hauraki Gulf trip, walk Tamaki Drive between cafes, or fall back on the city museums and the neighbouring beaches.

Photos

FAQ

Is St Heliers suitable for beginners?

Yes, the knee-deep flat water 2-3 hours before low tide is repeatedly described as learner-friendly, though it remains a busy urban beach with a marked swim lane.

What is the wind like at St Heliers?

NW to N wind is preferred, with NE and E also cross-onshore on the wider bay.

What about tides at St Heliers?

The best window is 2-3 hours before low tide, when the water is flat and shallow across the bay.

What are the hazards at St Heliers?

A marked swim lane must be avoided, and the eastern end of the beach sits in a wind shadow.

The bigger pictureEverything about Auckland

Last updated: August 2026