Spots Nearby
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Fudaberer:
0.4 km
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Hauturu (Clark Island):
0.7 km
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Whangamata Beach:
1.7 km
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Whangamata Estuary:
2.2 km
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The Bay:
5.3 km
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Whiritoa:
7.4 km
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Onemana:
7.6 km
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Opoutere:
12.6 km
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Homunga Bay:
16.5 km
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Orakawa:
18.8 km
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General Information
Level:7-10 Season:January 1 — December 31 -
One of a group of three islands just off Whangamata, this is a break that will challenge even the best. It only breaks a few days a year so you will need to be in the area when it goes, but if you like it solitary and dangerous than this one is for you.
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Beach
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Whangamata beach is long and sandy, but you'll need to paddle across from there for quite a while to get to this spot. It is possible to wade across at low tide but that's hard work too. Surprisingly, or not, this place is never crowded and in fact you'll rarely see any other surfers around here
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Wind&Waves
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Conditions are best here when the waves are coming from the north and the wind is blowing from the north-east. You need to catch it at the high tide position and then the swell will start at about 1.5 m and hold up to about 2.5 or even 3 m. It breaks to the right over a reef, and although they aren't the biggest waves around they are fast and powerful and hollow to boot. Length is pretty good too, ranging between 200 m and 300 m on most days.
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Facilities
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Whangamata is a popular place to come for holidays and its population peaks around New Year. Camping is available in the town, plenty of other accommodation is available on the nightlife isn't bad when it's busy. Lifeguards do patrol the beach here, but that doesn't mean you should take risks with these waves.
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Safety
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The rocks are the biggest hazard here. As the water is quite shallow you get very close to them especially if you don't judge the wave correctly.