Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
Jan · 48% rideableTauranga Harbour
What it's actually like
Tauranga Harbour is a tidal harbour in the Bay of Plenty. The local club, Tauranga Windsports, keeps its boat shed at Kulim Park in Otūmoetai and publishes a launch-by-launch guide to the harbour, with the best tide, the best wind, the level and the risks for each. Tide sets almost everything here: each launch works best in its own window, and the club’s guide is the place to start.
September to January are the windiest months in the record, and September is the pick, at about six days in ten clearing 12 knots for three daylight hours. Every month sits between about four and six in ten, and March is the quietest. From September to January the mean over those rideable hours is 15 to 16 knots. The wind builds through the day: in October under a fifth of days are windy at 8am and about half from 3pm. The record is a coarse 9 km model with no station check, so treat these figures as a guide. On a spring afternoon the harbour can be properly lit.
Speed Creek gets very shallow in places, so do slow test runs first, give way to boats going 5 knots and keep to the sides of the channel.
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Your month
When it's good
12 kt+ for 3+ daylight hours · kite
January · 48%. 15 rideable days in 31, 4.4 hours a day over 12 kt. Bring a book.
Where else it blows in January
Not yet checked against a weather station or an independent model, so treat these figures as a guide.
At a glance
Is it for you?
Geek analysis
January in the record
48% of days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.
In January the wind most often sits at 8 to 11 kt (31% of daylight hours). No daylight hour is over 12 kt on at least half the days. The best hour is 4pm, on 43% of days. See both charts in the full report
No weather station near enough to check these figures against.
January on the record
The month's own figures, not the year's average.
Take it with you
The full Tauranga Harbour report
Seven sections over six pages, built from the same record as this page. A PDF you can read on the plane.
When it gets busy
Crowds
The club’s annual Tauranga Harbour Jam, a weekend of windsurf, foil and wing racing, runs at Kulim Park on 31 October and 1 November 2026. WindChaser has no crowd count for the harbour yet.
On the water
What January usually does
Your playground
Launches & safety
Conditions change. Check local rules and conditions before you ride.
- Launch
- Hazard
- Parking
- School
- Stay
- Webcam
- Approximate
Local intel
Getting there & on the ground
Stay, schools & kit