Karioitahi E

Karioitahi E is the top launch at Karioitahi Beach on New Zealand's west coast, a cliff-top site at 80 m that's also the main hang gliding launch here, working southwest and west wind for ridge soaring. It carries a genuine caution: in southerly wind the site turns very cross and offers no real escape if a launch isn't clean, and pilots caught behind the ridge in south or north wind risk getting into rotor. Airspace overhead is capped at 2,500 ft ASL, stepping down to about 1,500 ft roughly 8 km north of the site and over the township of Waiuku behind it. Getting to launch means either parking outside the Lifesavers Club and walking along the beach and up the cliff, or taking the private road beyond the restaurant, which also works for hang gliders. Landing is on the beach itself, where the main hazard isn't the terrain but other beach users — watch for foot and vehicle traffic, especially in summer and at high tide, and keep clear of the marked 'no landing zone' that runs roughly 50 m either side of the grassy derigging area in front of the bottom car park.

Launch & conditions

This is the main top takeoff, at the top of the cliff. Avoid it in southerly wind — the site turns very cross with no real escape if the launch isn't clean — and watch for rotor if caught behind the ridge in south or north wind.

Getting there & local rules

Park outside the Lifesavers Club and walk along the beach and up the cliff (paraglider access), or take the private road beyond the restaurant (paraglider and hang glider access).

Local rules & hazards

Airspace overhead is capped at 2,500 ft ASL, stepping down to about 1,500 ft roughly 8 km north of the site and over the township of Waiuku behind it.

Check conditions before you fly

A forecast for the valley is not a forecast for the launch. Before heading to Karioitahi E, read the wind and thermals for the site itself, confirm the day's rules with the local club, and remember the standing rule — when in doubt, don't launch. In the free OutDare app you can open Karioitahi E with a 7-day forecast built from high-resolution weather models, see who else has been flying, and get there with offline maps.