It's not tennis balls that are going to fly but sand at the ASB Tennis Centre in Auckland as the New Zealand Beach Volleyball Open serves up some of the best international action.

From today through to Sunday 12 teams in both the men's and women's fields, made up of both international teams, and the top local's qualifying from the earlier tour events, will aim for on final push after busy summer's competition.

Sam O'Dea and Mike Watson head into the New Zealand Beach Volleyball Open as hot favourites. Photo: Tracy Hardy.

Eight New Zealand teams per gender will go directly into the main draw.

The NZ Open, with an estimated 9000 spectators, is the climax of the Volleyball New Zealand National Tour season following events at Mt Maunganui, Lake Karapiro and Mairangi Bay.

To set the scene in the past few days court one at the ASB Tennis Centre has been transformed into an ideal beach volleyball venue with 100 cubic metres of sand.

And NZ's best will be attempting to win the NZ Open, and start their season well as they lead into the Asian Tour and Olympic Qualification.

Fresh from qualifying for the World Championships in June, Mount Maunganui's pairing of Sam O'Dea and Mike Watson head into the start of today's action as No. 1 seeds and hot favourites to clinch the title.

The duo are looking to win their 2nd New Zealand Open and continue their successful run in 2015. They are undefeated in NZ and won the Oceania Championships in Manly, Australia in November.

O'Dea and Watson are joined in the men's main draw by Rene Kapa and Thomas Hartles, Charlie Stewart and Liam Munday, Tauranga pair Brad Fullerton and Daryl Lewis, Griffin Muller and Paora Morunga, Morgan Seymour and Calvin Buttermore, Tauranga's Thomas Reid and Kahurangi Robinson and Johnny Kessenich and Max Longdill.

In the women's main draw NZ No. 1 women's side Julia Tilley and Shaunna Polley are looking to win their first title after losing last years final to Vanuatu. They will face stiff competition from No. 2 seeded Melissa Ruru and Danielle Quigley.

The Tauranga pairs of Alice Bain and Bex Story, Susana Vega and Shannen Bagge, Kiana Tawa and Emma Flynn, Georgia Morton and Emily Johnston, along with Annalise Vukets and Renei Ursem and Antonia Harrison and Rachael Gunn join the top two pairings.

They will be joined by teams that are still to qualify, as well as top international teams that have entered. Those include the German men's pair of Christoph Gruenaug and Martin Kaufer and the Vanuatu women's pair of Linline Matauatu and Miller Pata, who were 9th at the 2013 World Championships.

Metservice forecasts the chance of the occasional shower across all three days of competition with highs of 26 degrees.