Kite surfing the ‘Magic’ Coast
Marinus van Wijk rides the wind, a kite surfer with a passion for the wild, stormy west coast. He has kite surfed in Europe, western Australia and Fiji, but Marinus confesses “home is still best” and nothing can compare to riding the wind and the waves at Port Waikato and Kariaotahi.
“I was a wind surfer for 15 years, mainly on the Manukau, off Clarks Beach. Taking up kite surfing was the next logical step. The benefits are the power, the speeds that can be achieved, so you can ‘pop’ - fly over a big wave before it crashes down on you. There’s the challenge of getting the timing right. Kite surfing is all about the rhythm. It’s so dynamic and three dimensional. You can get such big air, it’s unbelievable. I’m fortunate because some of the guys I kite surf with are really good, so I’ve progressed really quickly.
“I started off with three days at a kite surfing school and two days' practice, then I was up and away. Anyone can learn to kite surf with some good instruction. Most people can fly a kite; then you make it do what you want it to and once you get the feel of the rhythm, you’re right. The west coast isn’t good for wind surfing, because of the strength of the winds, but for kite surfing, it’s awesome! Port Waikato is up there with some of the best spots in the world and it’s deserted - very few kite surfers go out there.”
Marinus’ trip to Fiji for kite surfing last winter was his first experience of cruising over calm warm water in balmy conditions. The chosen spot was the lagoon on the west side of the tiny island of Nananui-i-Ra, facing the Trade Winds. He and a mate, an experienced kite surfer, enjoyed the laid back island, bypassed by the tourist trail and where a brisk, steady wind blows.
“It was beautiful, with good solid wind. There are no shops there, no big resorts. People go there for kite and wind surfing and the awesome snorkelling and diving. It was a very different experience kite surfing on the big lagoon. With no waves, it was ‘bump and jump’ and a chance to practise and improve specific skills. We kite surfed all day. But if you want the waves, our own west coast is the place, with big winds and consistent swells. We can skim along at 30-40 knots every day, in the shelter of the sand dunes at Port Waikato River mouth, where the water is glassy, or out on the big waves – it’s all just magic.
“Every day out there is a good day. I love being out in storms – it’s awesome to be part of Nature at its wildest. There are blue days when the sky is clear, silver days, when the sun is setting and silver ripples over the water. The gold days are when the sun is just the right colour and everything turns golden. There’s also the grey days, when it’s wild and stormy. It’s all good. As long as the wind is blowing, it’s great to be out there, part of it all.”