Locally generated wind‐waves in estuaries play an important role in the sediment dynamics and the transport of biota. Wave growth in estuaries is complicated by tidally varying depth, fetch, and currents. Wave development was studied at six sites along a transect across Manukau Harbour, New Zealand, which is a large intertidal estuary with a tidal range of up to 4 m. Three meteorological masts were also deployed across the mea...