The 5 Best Surf Spots in New Zealand

By Hugh McInnes

If an African safari is the one to go for if you are interested in wildlife tourism, then the 'surfari' is the one to go for in New Zealand if you are looking for exciting surfing action. That is because New Zealand is blessed with a coastline stretching 6000kms, and there are numerous access points to its pristine beaches, reefs and points.

The two principal islands - the North and the South Islands - constitute this country and water sport lovers thus have a plethora of options in front of them to explore the surrounding waters of the islands, and indulge in their favourite sport.

Surfing is thus a hugely popular sport and the amazing diversity of surf breaks provide just the right setting for this sport. Since New Zealand is insular shaped, it enables people to switch between coasts quite conveniently. The North Island is home to as many as 260 surf spots and is divided into 10 subzones, as compared to the South which has only 87 surf spots and 5 subzones. Moreover, the warm temperature of the North Island waters is a great facilitating factor. The waters in the South are much colder and you will need neoprene cover to venture into them.

The history of surfing goes back to the time when Captain James Cook stopped at Hawaii on his way to the northwest coast of America. After he was killed due to a misadventure on his part, it was Lieutenant James King who took over as First Lieutenant of the Discovery ship and took upon himself the onerous task of completing the narrative part of Cook's journals. It was at this time that he described the sport of surfboard riding in two full pages. This was after he saw the locals engaged in this sport at Kealakekua Bay.

Let us look at the top five surf spots in this wonderful country.

Raglan on the North Island must rank as the best and most famous surf spot thanks to its series of wonderful surf breaks, such as Indicators, Manu Bay, Whale Bay and so on. In fact Manu Bay featured in the 1966 movie 'The Endless Summer'. The breaks here extend up to 600m, ranging from two to ten feet in height. They are generally long-walled, gather a lot of swell, and consistent with occasional barrels. Raglan also has had the distinction of holding a world championship in surfing. To get to Raglan, fly into Auckland on the north island, pickup your campervan or car hire from the airport or city and set off on the drive south west.

Stent Road has a world class wave quality that will challenge even the most experienced surfers. The wave type is the Point-break, with the swell size beginning at a metre and holding up to 12 feet. It is crowded throughout the week and the best time to visit it is during the mid and high tides. You need to be careful about the rocks at this place, though.

The Coromandel is full of clear beaches and one of the well known, as well as difficult, surf spots is the Double Brown. It has a river mouth wave type, with a swell size that starts at just over 3.5m and holds itself all the way to more than 16ft. This surf spot is not crowded at all and that has to do with the level of difficulty it presents even to the most experienced surfers. The best time to visit is during low tide.

The wave quality at Pommy Reef is Totally Epic, and this is another surf spot that is ideal for the pros. The crowds gather only on weekends, and the swell size can top 16ft. You need to guard against urchins, rocks and sharks at this place.

Fitzroy Beach near New Plymouth is yet another popular surf spot that has excellent beach breaks stimulated by the westerly winds, which also produces heavy swells and hollow waves through the beach length. The surf quality is consistent, with the best time being winter and autumn. The closest break is at a distance of 3kms.

It is therefore not a surprise that the Kiwis take a lot of pride and draw inspiration from the above surf spots as well as from surf stars like Bobby Hansen, and Maz and Jay Quinn, and take to this sport with great enthusiasm whenever they get the opportunity, and you will too.

Hugh McInnes is a well-seasoned traveller and loves to share his experiences of travelling in a good campervans hire, pulling up to great stops along the way. As a guy who's careful with his money, if there's one thing he does know a fair bit about, it's car hire in New Zealand, especially doing it on a budget.