Taster day
Day one kitesurf course
Taster day / One day kitesurf course
A full-on kitesurfing experience day. Power yourself through the water with the kite and get a real feeling for this exciting sport. We believe the experience should be all about flying a proper kitesurfing kite in the water. So we don’t mess around with small trainer kites on the beach, which actually teach you bad habits that you then have to unlearn. After a short theory session and safety briefing, we kit up and get straight out in the water. That’s the safest and the most fun place to be with a powerful kite.
During your taster day you will learn to control the kite and use it to power yourself downwind through (and sometimes over) the water. Once we have harnessed the power, then we start to use the kite in a controlled way to take us in different directions, and learn some key skills such as body dragging up wind. We do not always use the board on the first day as kite control is 80% of the skill in kitesurfing and there is so much to learn. But if you decide to book a second day, you should be ready to get straight on the board when you come back.
We concentrate on the experience of flying the kite in the water, so the 1 day course does not cover self-rescue techniques required before you go out on your own. You can always upgrade to a two day course or three day course by adding a day or two later, to cover everything you need to become an independent kitesurfer.
Buy a kitesurfing gift voucher!
The perfect gift for birthdays, Christmas, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day or just to say I love you. Buy a voucher for one of our kite surf courses, or choose a value amount to put towards any course.
What to bring
We provide all equipment including wetsuits and safety gear. But if you have your own, bring wetsuit and booties. You then just need to bring your swimming gear (togs) to wear under the wetsuit, a towel, some warm clothes and sunscreen, etc. Everything you would expect for a day at the beach, depending on the weather. Something to eat and drink would be good for some extra energy and in case you end up drinking some salt water!
Where to meet
We teach kitesurfing at Rangiputa Beach and Tokerau Beach on the Karikari Peninsula depending on wind directions, and will give you directions on where to meet depending on the conditions on the day.
Click here for more info on our kitesurfing spots.
Our credentials
Airzone Kitesurf School is the only International Kiteboarding Organisation (IKO) Plus School – Pro Center in New Zealand. This is the highest level of IKO school. Zoe and Berny have been IKO instructors for over 20 years and are at the forefront of kitesurf training. As an IKO Examiner, Berny trains IKO instructors all over the world and works as part of the IKO training team to develop the best and most effective teaching methods. This means you can be sure of the latest training techniques and expertise to help you become a kitesurfer in the safest and fastest way possible.
We are an AdventureMark certified operator, which means we undergo a rigorous auditing process each year, to ensure we provide a safe and highly professional service.
Fair cancellation policy
If you cancel your booked session and we can fill your place we will refund your deposit or rebook your date. If we can’t fill your place and have previously turned other students away because of your booking, you may forfeit your deposit. If the wind doesn’t blow, or blows too much to be safe to teach, we will postpone your lesson to another day that suits you. If you can’t come back, we will refund any unused lesson time.
No wind no pay
If there is no wind or too much wind on the day of your course we will rebook a time that suits you or refund any unused lesson time if you can’t come back. You will never lose any lesson time. We believe you should get real value from your lessons, so if the conditions mean you are not going to progress or get the most out of your session, we won’t waste your time and charge you for it.
We ask you to call the night before or the morning of your kitesurf lesson to check conditions. This will save you a wasted journey if you have a long way to travel, and the wind is not going to be good. We will then rebook to another time.