Karitane.

Karitane is a right-hand rivermouth setup on the North Otago coast where hollow bar rights awaken on E swells - a swell angle that the rest of the south-facing coastline largely misses. The main break is a punchy, fast right that peels over transient sandbars shaped by the river outflow, with rides of 100 to 200 metres when the banks are stacked. Further outside, The Point is a separate, more serious wave: a sucky, challenging right that breaks close to the rocks from head-high to genuinely scary size. The rivermouth sandbars are notoriously fickle - what works one week may be gone the next. Low to mid tide on an outgoing push is the target, and westerly winds groom the face. When it does fire, the quality is excellent. The local crew knows the forecast and responds quickly. The outside point is expert-only territory, with sharks and strong rips adding consequence. The back beach offers a more accessible option on S-SE swells.

Hollow bars that vanish weekly, reborn by Karitane's river pulse on E swells alone.