Raglan kitesurf, wingfoil and windsurf spot

New Zealand · Waikato

Spot currently openIntermediate level -37.8 | 174.84

Overview

Raglan is one of the most iconic kitesurfing spots on the North Island of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the Waikato region, about 120 kilometres southwest of Hamilton. This small coastal town, already world-famous for its perfect left-hand surf waves, also offers exceptional conditions for kitesurfing. The Ozone team, one of the largest kite manufacturers in the world, chose Raglan as their base, a testament to the quality of the spot.

The main kitesurfing area, known as "Kite Beach", offers a mix of shallows, moderate chop and gentle waves. Raglan's large natural harbour and the river estuary near the town are both suitable for kitesurfing. The best wind conditions come from the southwest to northwest, with the outgoing tide offering the most favourable sessions. Spring and autumn are the main wind seasons, although the spot is windy year-round.

Raglan hosts the "Raglan Kite Jam", a major event on the New Zealand national kiteboard calendar. The spot offers varied conditions suitable for all levels, from beginners to advanced riders, depending on the chosen area. The town's laid-back atmosphere, its vibrant café and restaurant scene, and its exceptional natural setting between green hills and the Pacific Ocean make it a complete and must-visit kite destination.

Suggest an edit

Spot forecast for Raglan

Sunrise 06:28 · Sunset 19:42

Open-Meteo

Premium weather models. Get the professional models (ECMWF, GFS, ICON, MeteoSwiss…) and a 16-day forecast. Without a subscription: Open-Meteo over 5 days.

Go Premium

< 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.

Go Premium

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 6.6 km from the spot.

6:0012:0018:006:0012:0018:006:0012:0018:006:0012:0018:006:0012:0018:00Tue 20Wed 21Thu 22Fri 23Sat 24 Now05:242.4 m11:371.2 m17:582.6 m00:211.2 m06:332.5 m12:401.2 m18:582.7 m01:151 m07:292.7 m13:321 m19:482.9 m02:020.8 m08:152.8 m14:180.8 m20:303 m02:440.7 m08:553 m15:010.7 m21:103.2 m
  • Tuesday 20 October High tide · 2.4 m Low tide · 1.2 m High tide · 2.6 m
  • Wednesday 21 October Low tide · 1.2 m High tide · 2.5 m Low tide · 1.2 m High tide · 2.7 m
  • Thursday 22 October Low tide · 1 m High tide · 2.7 m Low tide · 1 m High tide · 2.9 m
  • Friday 23 October Low tide · 0.8 m High tide · 2.8 m Low tide · 0.8 m High tide · 3 m
  • Saturday 24 October Low tide · 0.7 m High tide · 3 m Low tide · 0.7 m High tide · 3.2 m

Raglan: 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

273h

in March · 27.5 rideable days

The season runs from September to March, peaking in March: 25 rideable days a month and 273 hours of usable wind, at 19 °C. The low point is July, at 10.5 days.

Rideable days per month

0 10 20 30 January: 23 rideable days J February: 23.5 rideable days F March: 27.5 rideable days27.5 d M April: 13.5 rideable days A May: 17 rideable days M June: 12.5 rideable days J July: 10.5 rideable days10.5 d J August: 17 rideable days A September: 26.5 rideable days S October: 25.5 rideable days O November: 23.5 rideable days N December: 25 rideable days D 0 10 20 30 January: 23 rideable days J February: 23.5 rideable days F March: 27.5 rideable days27.5 d M April: 13.5 rideable days A May: 17 rideable days M June: 12.5 rideable days J July: 10.5 rideable days10.5 d J August: 17 rideable days A September: 26.5 rideable days S October: 25.5 rideable days O November: 23.5 rideable days N December: 25 rideable days D

Wind strength when it is rideable

7-12 knots · 62%13-20 knots · 36%21-30 knots · 3%

When the spot works, wind sits mostly between 7 and 12 knots — 62% of rideable hours. Big-kite territory. The coldest month is July, at 14 °C. The wettest month is July, with 227 mm.

Monthly averages: Raglan
Monthly averages — Raglan — averaged over 2 years of records — Weather data by Open-Meteo.com — How it is calculated
Month Rideable days Usable wind Temperature Rain
January 23.0 241 h 22 °C 107 mm
February 23.5 228 h 22 °C 43 mm
March 27.5 273 h 20 °C 97 mm
April 13.5 124 h 19 °C 146 mm
May 17.0 154 h 16 °C 130 mm
June 12.5 120 h 15 °C 213 mm
July 10.5 80 h 14 °C 227 mm
August 17.0 153 h 14 °C 160 mm
September 26.5 315 h 15 °C 178 mm
October 25.5 318 h 17 °C 215 mm
November 23.5 250 h 19 °C 120 mm
December 25.0 283 h 20 °C 134 mm

Photo gallery of Raglan

This spot is waiting for its first images

Ridden here? One photo or video, and the spot comes alive for everyone discovering it.

Technical details of Raglan spot

N: Not rideable NNE: Not rideable NE: Not rideable ENE: Not rideable E: Not rideable ESE: Not rideable SE: Not rideable SSE: Not rideable S: Depending on conditions SSW: Rideable SW: Rideable WSW: Rideable W: Rideable WNW: Rideable NW: Rideable NNW: Depending on conditions N E S W

The spot works with winds from SSW, SW, WSW, W, WNW, NW.

Depending on conditions: S, NNW.

RideableDepending on conditions Not rideable
Spot opening date · Required level
Spot opening date
Open all year round
Required level
Intermediate

Something out of date? Suggest an edit

Live

Currently, there is no weather station at this spot. If you want to change this, help us fund one: Weather Station Project

All the details of your session on windtracker.app

Webcams near Raglan

Webcams provided by Windy.com

Nearby spots

All spots: Waikato

Comments 0

No comments yet.

    Log in to comment

    Suggest a photo

    Accepted formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIC. 10 MB at most per photo.

    Suggest a video

    Your video suggestion will be reviewed by our team before being published. Thank you for your contribution!

    Paste the URL of your video from YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, etc.

    Suggest sports for this spot

    Select the sports you think are practiced at this spot:

    Your proposal will be reviewed by our team before publication.

    Sports practiced

    Select all sports available at this spot

    Menu

    Explore

    Log in Sign up Français