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About this spot
Muri Beach on Rarotonga's south-east coast is the island's main kite spot and the home of KiteSUP Cook Islands, described on its own site as Rarotonga's first and only certified kitesurfing school, running since 2010.
The school's own spot notes say why it works: public access to the beach, space for beginners and experienced riders, water shallow enough to walk a long way from the shore, and a launch lined up with the prevailing south-easterly — a cross-onshore direction.
The beach itself is thin (a few metres in places) and the lagoon is only a couple of hundred metres across before the reef, so the school asks visitors to follow its local restrictions and safety procedures rather than turn up and rig anywhere.
Rental gear is released only after an assessment session with an instructor — rigging, self-launching and riding upwind — and hire is restricted to Muri lagoon; lessons run from two hours, privately or in groups.
3-day forecast
Speed / gusts in knots. Colour = rideability for this spot. Bottom row = recommended kite size for your weight — not recommended outside this spot's 15–30 kn range.
Conditions
- Water
- flat, choppy
- Depth
- Shallow lagoon — walkable for a long way out, reef a couple of hundred metres across
- Seabed
- sand, coral
- Skill
- beginner, intermediate
- Beginners
- Beginner friendly
- Wind range
- 15 kn – 30 kn
Access & parking
Muri Beach on the ring road, south-east coast of Rarotonga — public access.
Parking: Beach parking in Muri; the school and shops are on the same stretch.
Amenities
- KiteSUP Cook Islands school on the beach (private, group and wing lessons)
- Gear rental after an instructor assessment
- Equipment storage with the school
- Cafés, shops and accommodation in Muri
Needs local verification: Sources: https://cookislands.travel/experiences/water/kitesurfing (official tourism: lessons, gear and advice available at Muri Lagoon on Rarotonga, easterly trades 15–30 kt, best May–October), https://www.kitesup.co/kitespot (the school's own spot notes: public access, space for new and experienced kiters, shallow enough to walk far out, positioned for the prevailing SE which is cross-onshore, equipment storage, visitors asked to follow local restrictions), https://www.kitesup.co/ and https://www.kitesup.co/kitesup-rentals (Rarotonga's first and only certified kitesurfing school, est. 2010; rentals only after an assessment session covering rigging, self-launch and riding upwind, hire restricted to Muri Beach Lagoon), https://cookislands.travel/supplier/kiteboarding-lessons-kitesup-watersports-cook-islands (lessons in the shallow, clear waters of Muri Beach), https://www.se.kiteforum.com/kitesurf/spot/rarotonga___muri_beach (thin 2–5 m beach, tricky launch, stand-up in most of the lagoon, coral hazards, best directions E/ESE/SE). The beginner label follows the school and the official tourism page; the kiteforum database rates the beach launch itself as unsuitable for beginners, so learn with the school rather than alone. Wind-sector split and coordinates are estimates. Water table: seatemperature.org Avarua monthly averages. Windy links are searches/maps, not verified local webcams.
Local hazards
- Very thin beach in places (2–5 m) — launch from the water, not off the sand
- Coral and reef in the lagoon — reef shoes recommended
- The lagoon is only about 200 m wide, so the riding area is tight and busy with swimmers
- Ocean swell over the reef can make the water rough outside the flat zone