Overview

Rabbit Island (Moturoa) is an excellent kitesurfing spot located 25 minutes' drive west of Nelson, in the Tasman region, on the South Island of New Zealand. This 8-kilometre-long island, situated in Tasman Bay, offers an immense sandy beach with plenty of space and few riders, making it an ideal spot for both beginners and advanced riders. The best wind directions are east, northeast, north and northwest, rideable at all tides except high tide. The thermal winds of the Nelson and Tasman Bay area are consistent, typically blowing between 10 and 20 knots with an average around 15 knots. The beach also offers waves in certain conditions, adding fun for advanced riders. Watch out for trees at high tide which can be an obstacle. The spot has good facilities: toilets, freshwater showers and barbecue areas. The island is covered with pine plantations and sand dunes, offering a pleasant natural setting. It is a versatile spot suitable for all levels, particularly recommended for learning thanks to the available space and moderate wind.

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Spot forecast for Rabbit Island

Sunrise 06:30 · Sunset 19:53

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< 7 kn7–12 kn13–20 kn21–30 kn31–40 kn41+ kn Gusts Your minimum: 7 kn

Forecasts provided by Open-Meteo

Swell and waves

Swell and tides over 8 days. Premium members see the swell and tides over 8 days. Without a subscription: 5 days.

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Wave height: < 0.5 m 0.5–1 m 1–2 m 2–3 m ≥ 3 m

Swell data by Open-Meteo Marine

Tides

Heights above lowest astronomical tide, in the spot's local time. Computed 2.9 km from the spot.

Tuesday 20 October High tide 05:18 · 2.8 m Low tide 11:38 · 1.6 m High tide 17:59 · 3 m
Wednesday 21 October Low tide 00:25 · 1.5 m High tide 06:39 · 2.9 m Low tide 12:49 · 1.5 m High tide 19:07 · 3.1 m
Thursday 22 October Low tide 01:26 · 1.3 m High tide 07:40 · 3.1 m Low tide 13:46 · 1.3 m High tide 20:00 · 3.3 m
Friday 23 October Low tide 02:15 · 1.1 m High tide 08:29 · 3.3 m Low tide 14:33 · 1.1 m High tide 20:45 · 3.5 m
Saturday 24 October Low tide 02:57 · 0.8 m High tide 09:11 · 3.6 m Low tide 15:15 · 0.8 m High tide 21:27 · 3.7 m

Rabbit Island: when to go?

Rideable days and hours computed for a minimum wind of 7 knots · log in to set your own (foil, twin-tip…)

Season · peak

227h

in December · 28 rideable days

The season runs from September to March, peaking in December: 24 rideable days a month and 227 hours of usable wind, at 19 °C. The low point is July, at 4.5 days.

Rideable days per month

Wind strength when it is rideable

7-12 knots · 84%13-20 knots · 16%21-30 knots · under 1%

When the spot works, wind sits mostly between 7 and 12 knots — 84% of rideable hours. Big-kite territory. The coldest month is June, at 12 °C. The wettest month is June, with 183 mm.

Monthly averages: Rabbit Island

Monthly averages — Rabbit Island — averaged over 2 years of records — Weather data by Open-Meteo.com — How it is calculated
Month	Rideable days	Usable wind	Temperature	Rain
January	25.0	160 h	21 °C	65 mm
February	23.0	129 h	21 °C	63 mm
March	23.5	138 h	20 °C	34 mm
April	14.0	90 h	17 °C	161 mm
May	10.5	59 h	15 °C	75 mm
June	6.5	46 h	12 °C	183 mm
July	4.5	34 h	12 °C	147 mm
August	9.5	56 h	13 °C	66 mm
September	19.5	120 h	14 °C	72 mm
October	23.5	174 h	16 °C	176 mm
November	27.5	203 h	19 °C	75 mm
December	28.0	227 h	21 °C	70 mm

Photo gallery of Rabbit Island

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Technical details of Rabbit Island spot

The spot works with winds from N, NNE, NE, ENE, E, WNW, NW, NNW.

Depending on conditions: ESE, WSW, W.

RideableDepending on conditions Not rideable

Spot opening date · Required level

Spot opening date: Open all year round
Required level: Beginner

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Live

Nelson Aerodrome AWS6.8 kmsource MetService New Zealand

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Additional stations

NELSON AIRPORT AWS6.5 km

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source WIS2 - WMO
ZL2ASC-134 km

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source CWOP / APRS-IS

All the details of your session on windtracker.app

Webcams near Rabbit Island

Webcams provided by Windy.com

Nearby spots

All spots: Tasman

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Rabbit Island kitesurf, wingfoil and windsurf spot