Nouvelle-Zélande
Jacks Point is a kitesurfing spot located in the Jack's Point subdivision, south of Queenstown on Lake Wakatipu. It can be accessed by following the road to Kingston, then turning into the residential area until reaching the clubhouse and continuing towards the lake.
Kitesurfers usually park near the concrete pad and use a sling on the car's tow bar for launching. The atmosphere is calm with a beautiful view of the lake and the surrounding mountains.
The spot works well with strong south winds, providing good sessions for experienced riders who know the area.
The wind data shown here comes from ERA5 (via Open-Meteo) over 4 years, reprocessed to reflect realistic conditions.
👉 Average wind has been calibrated to avoid the usual underestimation of models.
👉 Gusts have been corrected by a median ratio to avoid unrealistic extreme values.
👉 Each day is summarized by the median wind (P50) observed during useful hours (8am–8pm), then classified into wind ranges.
👉 The weighted mode mixes average wind and gusts to best reflect felt wind.
chopchopThe Jacks Point spot is oriented for summer thermal winds from south (S) or southwest (SW), which come in side-on relative to the beach, favoring a relatively clean water surface despite the lake. A strong wind, around 28 km/h or more (about 15 kts minimum), is needed for it to work well as the lake can be gusty due to the surrounding terrain.
The navigation area extends over Lake Wakatipu, wide and deep, with water entry from the rocky beach. Use a sling on the car for safe launching from the parking lot. The downwind area is clear but you quickly reach the shore with a wind shadow in the corner. No tidal influence since it is a freshwater lake, but levels vary slightly with snowmelt or rain without impacting the ride.
Local feature: the spot is in a residential area, so respect the rules of the Southern Lakes Windriders club. Ideal for freeride sessions on moderate chop, but ask a local for the first time as launching can be technical with nearby rocks.
Ideal conditions are winds from south or southwest at 20-25 kts, steady without too many gusts, for smooth sessions on chop.
The water surface is generally choppy with strong winds, rarely flat due to the lake's fetch. Good for freeride, but can become irregular with gusts from the mountains.
No sea currents on Lake Wakatipu, as it is freshwater without tides. Water movement is minimal, influenced only by strong winds that can create a chop but without dangerous drift.
Choose kite sizes of 9 to 12 m² in typical winds of 12-20 kts, and 7-9 m² when it blows over 25 kts.
Typical winds come from the south (S) or southwest (SW), strong and steady especially in spring and summer. The average strength is 12-20 kts in spring-summer (October-March), with thermal afternoons helping on the lake. The most reliable months are November to March.
The climate around Queenstown is temperate with warm, dry summers (18-26°C from December to March) and cold winters (5-12°C from June to August), sometimes with snow at higher altitudes. Conditions change quickly, typical of South New Zealand, with south fronts bringing wind year-round but more reliably in spring and summer.
Lake Wakatipu is deep with a rocky and sandy bottom. You can stand only on the first few meters of the pebble beach near the shore, then it quickly becomes deep.
In summer (Dec-Mar), the lake water is 15-18°C. In winter (Jun-Aug), it drops to 8-12°C, 5/3 mm wetsuit required.
