How windy is this place really in June? What about August and September?
I've spotted some wind rose graphs but only on travel sites and nothing from any official sites that I can find.
Quite a few of the videos on youtube seem to be big kite conditions (13-15kts), how common are 20+ knots days.
The lagoon looks amazing but I can't help but get the impression it's not the windiest place around??
Feel free to email me if you don't feel like posting. 
Try this link,
www.windfinder.com/windstatistics/aitutaki_airport?utm_source=www.windfinder.com&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=redirect
Try this link also www.windguru.cz/292146
It's typical trade wind location, five or so days of wind that blow from the SE starting of on day 1 at around 10-15 and then builds up to 20-25 by day 3 or 4 then backs of. This is normally followed by a couple if days of lite wind before the patten repeats its self.
I take a 10, 12 and something big for the light days.
This place is for those that just want to kite and can enjoy their own company as there is little to do on the down days other than fish, dive,SUP, read lay in the sun, eat and drink. There is only a small tourist industry.
Is it windy, well it can be but it's like anywhere in the world that is based around weather related activities, some times the conditions don't go to plan.
P.s no waves just perfect flat water
Check out the wind rose graphs on our site at http://kiteboardaitutaki.com/aitutaki-wind-weather.htm
they were provided by the Cook Islands Government Weather Bureau and are from collated Aitutaki airport stats...
and in our experience, allowing for seasonal and other variation, pretty representative of the general pattern that Dean explained perfectly; it doesn't blow all the time but comes up and down in cycles
In the past I've found Windfinder statistics to be very good providing realistic month by month historical wind records which align with what I have experienced on my holidays at several locations. But the historical statistics for Aitutaki just look totally wrong.
But their forecast seems to be ok.
Oliver König at Windfinder is investigating
Here is a record of the actual wind readings at Aitutaki Airport for each day in June 2011, 2012, 2013
In knots at 3 hourly intervals through each day. (Wind Guru)
windy more days than its not. I was there for 10 days in both 2011 & 2012 and kited approx 8 out of the 10 days. Some days the wind was on the light side but such a perfect spot that we would just go out and muck around with a big kite, stack a few kites, stuff like that.
Taking a 16 mtr this trip so only looking for 10-12 to have some fun hang time
Just come back from 8 days there; weather forecast was somewhat unreliable......
two ripper days out of 8 on a 12m and 9m respectively, several half days of trying on a 12 but not really making it..in dying conditions....and a couple of dead-as-a-doornail-lets-go-snorkelling days.
Most folks were on 12- 15m and the 17m Zephyr made a few appearances
as I said before it ain't full on all the time, it comes and goes..... and this week, right now its forecast to be pretty big.......and if you look at the live feed from the airport it hasn't got anywhere near it.....so , pretty much like here in NZ the best forecast is the one you get outside the window.
Its great flat water sailing in beautiful conditions (we did nearly 100km in 3 sessions with a gps on board....easy to rack up distance in calm water)
Go and enjoy it, we're going back in august for another crack at it...
I was there and I got about 2 hours in 9 days on my 13m. Worst kiting trip I've done.. Apparently it can be good though
Wow Foorked thats was bad luck. When was that? you would have struggled to keep yourself entertain for that amount of time without wind
Apology. Correction: Those wind numbers I posted above from Wind Guru are only historical records of their forecasts. Not actual measured windspeeds.
Select to expand quotefoorked said..
I was there and I got about 2 hours in 9 days on my 13m. Worst kiting trip I've done.. Apparently it can be good though
Was just on Rarotonga as well, and I think the one day that there were about 4 people out for 2 hours I was having a cocktail and missed the only opportunity to get out. Beautiful island, and if I managed to kite in the lagoon it woulda been epic. As it stood I spent hours just driving around the island praying for wind. Was to scared to fly all the wait to Aitutaki for another big fat disappointment.
Shoulda gone back to Cooktown.
A rough costing:
Airfares $1200
Accommodation $45-60 per night
Scooter hire $15 per day
Boat transfer to Honeymoon Is or 1 Foot $20 per day or $30 with lunch.
Meals $15
I am currently on Aitutaki . This is my fourth trip here on kiteboarding trips.
Deanrobi's comments are bang on.
Rarotonga is 100 miles due south of Aitutaki. Comments about weather in Rare are not relevant to Aitutaki.
If you are interested coming here with the most experienced tour group with all infrastructure arrangements done check out Kiteboardglobal.com.au
Cheers
Select to expand quoteToddy1 said..
Comments about weather in Rare are not relevant to Aitutaki.
All but one of the comments seem to be about Aitutaki. Not Raro
Winds have been on for nearly two solid weeks now, forecast for the next 7 days is looking really good:
www.windguru.cz/292146
For what its worth the 14 day forecast is settling in nicely as well:
www.zoover.co.uk/polynesia/cook-islands/aitutaki/weather
Local kiters are saying best season in 6 years with consistently stronger winds so far this year.
Arriving tomorrow, fingers crossed
Ya, that clip is pretty cool. Seems our whole kiting crew in Jervis Bay are there right now. Some have been for three weeks already. Last count there were 12 cruisers from here that made the trip, for some it was their second or third. Never been to Aitutaki, but I got some epic waves on Rarotonga when I was there on my honeymoon 25 years ago. Serious good waves, razor sharp coral, substantial barrels. I really enjoyed it. Love to go back as a kiter.
Now, has anyone kited the waves in Aitutaki? There doesn't look like too many breaks in the reef, but I am sure it is different when you are there.
Dafish, decent sz swell hit the outer reef but there's no real spots to wave ride. The one boat channel into the marina sometimes has a wav, other than that there is a small break in the reef on the SE that some locals use to get guru the reef other wise the swell just breaks on to a near exposed reef, pretty much in-surf able. Heaps if flat water though to progress a few moves
couple weeks of flat water would do me good because I suck at tricks with a tt. I like big air, occasional back roll, but can't do any twisty stuff, or something cool like the darkslide. But my heart is in the waves that if I am traveling, that's what I am shooting for. However, if a crew heads that way next year I might go for the kiting and social aspect to hang with friends while learning said tricks.
Thanks for the info Dean.
Has anyone been mid to late September or mid to late Oct and can comment re wind and weather?
Yep, been once, early October 2011; very hot, wind more out of the north, humid as all hang and really not a lot of wind. Spent 10 days and got a kite up once, but only to fly, not to ride....
and I've heard others say it can blow....
Been here five days now and it's blown every day, four days of 20+ knots and one of 15+, no wind to day but the next 7 days are looking epic, forecasted to get up to 30+ on Sunday.
Locals say its the windiest it's been in 6 years, patterns are back to what it was like before the cyclone.
Should have brought the 8m rather than the 16m as it doesn't look like that will get out during my stay
I've been interested in going to Aitutaki for several years.
I've been put off by a few conflicting kiters reports but mainly by the Monthly Historical Wind Speed Statistics reported in Windfinder.
The statistics really do look poor compared to other world class spots.
www.windfinder.com/windstatistics/aitutaki_airport?utm_source=www.windfinder.com&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=redirect
I exchanged a few emails with Windfinder.
The forecasts for Aitutaki are produced by the Fiji Met Service. These forecasts seem to predict good winds in alignment with actual winds as reported by visiting kiters on Aitutaki. The actual wind speed observations are made at the airport on Aitutaki. These are collected by Windfinder to produce Monthly historical statistics.
I have not been able to find the reason for the statistics to look so poor compared to the forecasts. I started to think the airport was reading wind speed in knots and telling windfinder the unit of measure was kph.
Today I compared Dean's report of 3 x 20 knot days. Plus 1 x 15 knot day. See actual observations for those 4 days below.
I now think the difference between the airport observations and kiter reported (and forecast) winds may be due to the good winds blowing for relatively short duration each day and thus considerably reducing the averages in the historical statistics.
Anyone have any other ideas?
I worked there doing kite trips for 4 years in a row for Assault, never had a trip without wind! and i know its been great there the last year and this season. Dont read into the specs too much, just get out there and experience it!
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Rob, I can only add that the wind gauge for the airport is situated at the NE end of the island, where as the kiting is conducted about 12km away at the SW end of the lagoon at Honeymoon island. The wind has a large expanse of water to cross before hitting Honeymoon.
The other point to note is when these trades blow, they blow 24 hrs and if anything strengthen a bit at night, as I sit here drinking my morning coffee on the leeward side of the island, it's 7.30am and its a good 12-15 knots, will be a lot stronger when we get to Honeymoon later to day.
Give it a go but it's like any weather based sports there will always be hiccups when it doesn't snow or the wind doesn't blow, just factor in a few extra days to your trip
