Akito

comment by Paul up and west Smith, 2004-11-10 10:56:23

Shifty it is Weber Weekend Wave Warrior
I spent 2003 on the dole surfing fulltime around Southern Hawkes Bay and agree with "living the quiet life in weber", although no surfer from Weber (surfer population 1 poor lonely soul) should be trusted. Akitio does have it's day, I've had some good A frames and the days just before that record cold snap when it snowed everywhere, I got some of the best 4 foot walls I'd seen at Akitio at the rivermouth. As far as Hawkes Bay standards go it is consistent, peaky, hollow and generally enjoyable. But if you have done a mish from Palmy or anywhere further than Dannevirke or Waipuk I'd say you are probably better off spending an extra hour or two heading south to greener pastures. (And this is not an attempt to put you off surfing Akitio because I could care less, plus if you are from Palmy you are probably a harmless kook anyway simply for living in such a surfless godforsaken rathole - ha ha, shout out to the boys, M,B + J ) Anyways as with most Hawkes Bay beaches the banks are well formed one week and gone the next, making any summary other than that they are fickle debatable. However for my two cents I found the peaks would constantly shift up and down the beach throughout a surf and as the tide filled in, the wave would peak well then would move into the classic 'Central Hawkes Bay Deep Spot' that turns a potentially good wave into fatness. NW is cross shore at Akitio, and as the wind around the Weber area is generally strong (major understatement), heading there in a NW will ruin your day. If you have gone there in a NW regardless, you can check the southern end that has some semi reefs, or there is the northern end, but try as I might I never saw the northern side of the rivermouth good, but if you really want to, park before the bridge and walk up the track and through the pines to suss it. The good thing about Akitio, is if you are there when it's good and it's not a summer public holiday you are probably going to be the only one hooting. (If you can hear yourself over the gale force offshore that is.)

comment by c/o The One Fitty Hilly Hunter Boys, 2004-02-06 04:41:32

no title
My brothers and mates have been surfing Akito since 1988and it has always been worth a drive, there are some great uncrowded waves there. Castlepoint is good too, more swell and angle options a safer bet, but on its day Akito, with just ya mates out and freight training tubes can remind you why we took up surfing in the first place. Stoked man.The NW wind funnels through the gorge and opens the River bank Right up and if its too strong, Dead Meats further up is sheltered. A SW wind is offshore for Outside Toilets and the Reef but heaps of times it has swung to the South wrecking everything.If it does go Northerly, the South Bay aka Big Shits is offshore and is CLASSIC. A typical bommie with an easy dry hair paddle out but an absolute barstard when ya get caught by the rouge set. The drop and the wall make up for it though. One of those spots where when ya go down ya know your on the wrong side of a bitch slapping. Watch out for the Ranger who will want to search your car for poached crayfish (he can, they have more search rights than the Police).

comment by living the quiet life in weber, 2003-04-07 11:12:39

shifty
Akitio is fun a fun spot for sure, but can be frustrating if you have travelled some distance to surf here. The quality of the waves are heavily affected by the tide. The swell shifts across the different sand banks as the tide changes.The waves on the reef are also very tidal.For consistency I recommend heading to Castlepoint if you are on a mish.Also NW is a cross shore for Akitio beach W - SW is the best wind angle.