Map › New Zealand › Tahunanui Beach
Asia-Pacific · Nelson
Tahunanui Beach
also known as Tahuna Beach
Tahunanui Beach has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance
When it fills in
No onset time is published for this spot.
The wind
locals call it sea breeze
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
Typical strength
10-20 knots on the thermal sea-breeze days that make up most of the season, averaging about 15. Early in the season the frontal systems blow harder and colder than that and can leave the bay stormy.
Also on record
15
The quiver, in words
A New Zealand travelling quiver of 12-14 m, 9-10 m and 5-6 m covers the range. Nothing Tahunanui-specific has been published.
Direction to shore
side-shore to cross-onshore depending on wind direction and whether riding the front beach, sand spit or channel
Dominant direction
N, NE and NW in the main season. W and SW also work, at the right tide.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month5
- Feb, riders' month11
- Mar, riders' month6
- Apr, riders' month10
- May8
- Jun3
- Jul11
- Aug8
- Sep, riders' month15
- Oct, riders' month19
- Nov, riders' month12
- Dec, riders' month15
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.
- 5%Jan22°
- 11%Feb22°
- 6%Mar20°
- 10%Apr18°
- 8%May16°
- 3%Jun14°
- 11%Jul13°
- 8%Aug12°
- 15%Sep13°
- 19%Oct15°
- 12%Nov18°
- 15%Dec20°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5% | 10% | 10% | 8.1 kt | N | 14:00 | 18.4°C | 22.2°C | 62 |
| Feb | 11% | 25% | 19% | 8.6 kt | N | 14:00 | 17.6°C | 22°C | 57 |
| Mar | 6% | 23% | 19% | 8.6 kt | N | 15:00 | 15.7°C | 20.2°C | 62 |
| Apr | 10% | 20% | 12% | 8.1 kt | N | 14:00 | 14°C | 17.6°C | 60 |
| May | 8% | 18% | 16% | 7.4 kt | N | 13:00 | 11.7°C | 15.8°C | 62 |
| Jun | 3% | 7% | 5% | 6.2 kt | SE | 12:00 | 9.5°C | 13.9°C | 60 |
| Jul | 11% | 21% | 18% | 7.5 kt | WSW | 13:00 | 8.9°C | 12.5°C | 62 |
| Aug | 8% | 15% | 10% | 7.5 kt | N | 14:00 | 8.9°C | 11.7°C | 62 |
| Sep | 15% | 42% | 30% | 9.7 kt | WSW | 15:00 | 10.9°C | 13.1°C | 60 |
| Oct | 19% | 39% | 32% | 9.7 kt | NNW | 14:00 | 12.3°C | 15.2°C | 62 |
| Nov | 12% | 32% | 22% | 9 kt | N | 14:00 | 14.7°C | 18°C | 60 |
| Dec | 15% | 31% | 26% | 9.4 kt | N | 14:00 | 17.4°C | 20.4°C | 62 |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. 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.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
mixed
Standing depth
Shallow clear water on the sand spit and front beach; deeper water in the channel.
Tides
Good at all tides in N, NE and NW wind. W and SW work best on the low incoming tide, until the sand bar covers at mid tide.
Temperature
19°C summer · 12°C winter
Wetsuit
Neoprene for spring, autumn and winter, and for any summer day that is not one of the warm ones. Early-season water is around 12 C.
Currents
The channel current runs hard, reportedly up to 6 knots on the outgoing tide.
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
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
On your own
Room to launch: wide
Somewhere else
No neighbour on record
No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.
Rescue
Launch
A wide sand beach, with kitesurfers directed to the western end of Tahunanui Beach Reserve.
Space
wide
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Learn and progress on the sand spit and the front beach; leave the channel alone.
- Stay out of the channel at peak tidal flow, when the ebb runs up to 6 knots.
- Launch at the western end of Tahunanui Beach Reserve: the eastern end is the swimming zone.
- In W or SW wind, go on the low incoming tide, before the sand bar covers at mid tide.
- Ask Kitescool or Kitesurf Nelson what the channel and the zone boundaries are doing that day.
- Use it as a base for the remote Golden Bay spots if you have days to spare.
- Keep north of the channel markers: that is where the 5-knot limit stops applying to a kite.
- Wear the wetsuit or a buoyancy vest and you are clear of the lifejacket rule; without either you are not.
- Nobody is watching the water for you here, so ride within sight of someone.
Getting there
Airport
Nelson Airport (NSN)
Route
About 3 minutes by car from Nelson Airport and 5 minutes from Nelson city. The hourly eBus line 4 from Nelson Airport Terminal to Beach Road at Park takes about 6 minutes.
Transfer
6 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Tahuna Beach Holiday Park is on the beach itself, with campsites, cabins and self-contained motel units.
No-wind days
Abel Tasman National Park, kayaking, the Great Taste Trail by bike, and the Nelson Tasman wineries, breweries and food producers.
Photos
Last updated: August 2026