Wife and I are thinking about taking a trip to NZ in December (North island), seeking recommendations for wing spots and gear rental. Both are intermediate wingers. Not looking for waves, prefer beautiful spots with calmer water.

Water Nomads runs some good tours around New Zealand and have some decent rental gear. I ran into them in Northland (about 3-4 hours north of Auckland). Their tours take you to some
of the more remote/empty areas (and pretty safe conditions).
Plenty of spots all around Auckland and a few shops that rent there. Within 1 hours drive of Auckland you can find something for every wind direction. Personally I think the north shore side of Auckland has the best options between Takapuna beach, lake Pupuke, manly beach, and shakespear Park.
Also Raglan (about 2 hours SW of Auckland has a good harbor to foil on (depending on tide and wind direction). There's an Ozone shop in town that I think does rentals and lessons. The surf beach is amazing but not that user friendly for winging as the wind is difficult to get good there
mt Maunganui is another popular area about 3 hours drive from Auckland and Assault is a local shop to contact.

December should get you decent wind 4+ days a week, and if you can get hold of a 7-8m wing then you should get out almost every day.

use the Facebook "kiwi foil froth" group for more intel and specifics.

Hi Goofcat,
we rent gear (Axis boards and foils, PPC wings) pretty much anywhere in New Zealand. Our rentals work on a "rent like you own" system: You pick the gear up from us (in your case possibly in Auckland) and take care of it for the duration of your rental. You can take it anywhere you want in New Zealand and are not limited to one specific spot. No limitations on where, nor needing to return to the rental place in the evening before they close. Just as if it were your own.
For rentals, please book a few weeks in advance so we can ensure the right equipment is at the right place (as we operate nationwide).

Wingfoil locations:
It all comes down if you want to base yourself in one locations or go on a roadtrip and explore multiple areas.
As a starter, have a look at my blogpost "5 Flatwater Spots" waternomads.co.nz/5-great-flatwater-foiling-spots-in-new-zealand/
As kiwiupover already said, there is a good wingfoil scene around Auckland (with Auckland being the biggest city of New Zealand) and plenty of spots in any wind direction. However, a lot of those spots are city spots and not the most scenic ones (in my opinion). If you are prepared to get off the beaten track a little bit, you will find some absolute gems.
Raglan is a cute village with a big harbour to foil in (at high tide).
The Karikari Peninsula in Northland (Stunning scenery, captures any wind direction)
Kai Iwi Lakes (beautiful clear water, camping right at the lake front)
Or go and explore the countless lakes around Rotorua (with the added bonus of multiple hot springs in the area to soak those tired muscles)
Mount Maunganui / Tauranga has got some sheltered harbours as well, but you are limited to 1-2 hours either side of high tide (unless you know where the channels are). It's a buzzing party town, if you like a bit more nightlife and entertainment.

I personally prefer the South Island in summer. There are so many breathtaking places, it's less busy and the thermals work reliably.
Feel free to get in touch if you need any more info, we are traveling around the country all year round and know most spots.

What's the preferred wind forecast site for NZ (Auckland region in particular)?

Heading over for a boat trip between Kawau Island and Waiheke Island. Any suggestions for those spots?

PS. Any other recommended foil shops in Auckland?

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colin71 said..
PS. Any other recommended foil shops in Auckland?

NZ Boardstore Pt Chevalier

PredictWind is by far the best service in Auckland. Since the Americas Cup they have live wind meters just about everywhere. It's a paid service but it's only $50.- per year. www.windsurf.co.nz has cameras on various spots. Shops: NZ Boardstore in Point Chev and NZ Foilcenter in Takapuna are your go-to shops in town. There are a few more shops in Orewa (Underground Surf) and NZ Sailing. I'm sure there are more but that's my recommendations.

Madloop will get you out on Lake Pupuke in Takapuna for $35/hr - mainly beginner equipment though.
You'll find people out all over the North Shore in Auckland whenever there's wind

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colin71 said..
PS. Any other recommended foil shops in Auckland?

I'm new to winging and had two amazingly good experiences with shops: Undeground surf in Orewa (short drive north of Auckland) was fantastic. Let me try gear (the sea is over the road from the shop) and sent a staff member over to keep an eye on me for safety and give me pointers. They have great prices at the moment while new Armstrong boards being released. Lots of great in stock ready to go too. The shop I had a very good experience with was NZ Boardstore - again a really wide range of gear in stock, very friendly and knowledgeable and good prices . I don't think you could go wrong at either place - check them both out!

Hi all. I am travelling to NZ March 6 and trying to decide what wings to bring. I will be bring my inflatable GONG Hipe Cruzader and HPS 1050 foil. I have a 4m, 5m and 7m wings. I will be spending time in the Auckland area, Raglan and Cooks Beach. I am wondering if I need to bring the 5m. Appreciate any thoughts from locals?

Thanks.

Yep, take them all :-)

Check out Tauranga and 'The Mount'.. (Mount Maunganui).. Worth going just for the walk around the mount..

Check the link below for my pics.

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Wing-Foiling/Wind-Wings/WingFoil-World-Tour-NZ-?page=1

Detailed Spotguides for the best wingfoil spots in New Zealand: waternomads.co.nz/spotguide-landing/
We are constantly adding new spots, stay tuned!

What about Coromandel?

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HansH said..
What about Coromandel?

Plenty of surf beaches with fairly steep hills around. You can find wind but might need to do a bit of driving to find a beach that suits the wind direction of the day. You can also go to the Matarangi Inlet if you want flat water (high tide required).