Ākitio

Ākitio breaks where the river pushes across a wide sandbar and out onto the reef, an hour and a half down gravel and farm road from the nearest town on the remote northern Wairarapa coast. The rivermouth shapes the sand into banks that can hold a fast, walling wave on the right swell, while the reef out the side picks up more size and squares up for the surfers who know how to read it. It faces into the southerly swells that march up this coast through winter and spring, and it wants a SE or S groundswell with the wind out of the northwest to stand up clean. On its day it is a proper wave well worth the drive, and on the wrong day it is a wild, windswept stretch of coast that reminds you how far you are from anywhere.

• Come for a SE or S groundswell with a NW wind, that is when the bar and reef both line up and the drive pays off.
• Read the rivermouth from the bank first, the best bank shifts with every fresh and the channel shows you where the rip is.
• Mid tide is the sweet spot, the reef gets too shallow down low and the bar goes soft and fat on a full high.
• Fuel up and stock up before you leave the main road, there are no shops once you turn off, and bring everything you need for the day.
• If the southerly is howling onshore here, Castlepoint 35 minutes south sits at a different angle and is worth a look.

• The rivermouth pushes a strong rip out either side of the bar, and it runs hardest on an outgoing tide after rain when the river is in flood. It is the main thing to respect here.
• Out the side it is reef over rock that does not forgive a fall, so booties and a careful entry matter, and it pays to know what is beneath you before you commit to a wave.
• There is no surf club, no patrol and often nobody else on this coast, and phone coverage is patchy, so paddle out with someone and leave word of your plan.
• The access road in is unsealed and the last stretch can be rough, badly potholed or cut off altogether after heavy rain, so check conditions before you commit to the long drive.
• The water is cold and the wind off this coast is relentless, so the chill builds faster than you expect on a long session, suit up properly and keep an eye on how long you have been in.

Getting there

Remote northern Wairarapa coast, reached via Route 52 and Akitio Road. Allow about 90 minutes of mostly back-country road from Dannevirke or Pongaroa, the final stretch unsealed.

Parking

Informal parking by the rivermouth and the camping ground, plenty of room and rarely busy.

Toilets & showers

Basic toilets at the Akitio camping ground when it is open. Nothing else on this coast.

Shops, cafes & fuel

The Akitio camping ground runs a small general store for the basics over the season. Beyond that there is nothing on this coast, so fuel up and stock up at Pongaroa or Dannevirke on the way in.

Accommodation

Akitio has a small camping ground and a scattering of baches, some available as holiday rentals. Otherwise base yourself in Dannevirke or further down the coast.

Camping

Akitio camping ground sits right behind the beach, the obvious base for a dawn session. Check it is open seasonally before you rely on it.