Summer (December to February) is the busiest time on Ninety Mile Beach, with the fishing contest in late January and the best beach weather. The days are long, the sand warm, and the evening sunsets over the Tasman are at their most spectacular. Christmas and New Year bring a surge of New Zealand holidaymakers; if you prefer solitude, come in early December or February.
The beach is driveable year-round, but winter brings more unpredictable conditions and shorter windows of firm sand. The westerly winds that lean every tree on this coast toward the east are strongest in winter — exhilarating rather than unpleasant on a clear day, but reason to check the forecast carefully before heading onto the sand.
The Ninety Mile Beach Fishing Contest takes place in late January and is a good reason to come if fishing is your purpose. Book accommodation in Kaitaia well in advance.