Surf-Forecast | Waiwakaiho Surf Guide

Waiwakaiho Surf Guide

Waiwakaiho in Taranaki is a fairly exposed reef break that has fairly consistent surf. Autumn and winter are the optimum times of year for waves. Offshore winds are from the southeast. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the ideal swell direction is from the west southwest. Both left and right reef breaks. Best around high tide. Unlikely to be too crowded, even when the surf is up. Dangerous rips are a hazard of surfing here.

Waiwakaiho Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Sandbar	5	fairly consistent	16.7°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Waiwakaiho:

The best conditions reported for surf at Waiwakaiho occur when a West-southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Southeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Waiwakaiho (for consistent clean waves)?

juneBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Waiwakaiho with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of June. Clean surfable waves are typically found 26% of the time in June while 48% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 26% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

26%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

48%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

26%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Waiwakaiho Location Map

Interactive Waiwakaiho surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Waiwakaiho is New Plymouth Airport (NPL) in New Zealand, 7 km (4 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Waiwakaiho is Wanganui Airport (WAG), also in New Zealand, 129 km (80 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Waiwakaiho Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 9 June 2026, 13:09 Local Time

m, °C	Tuesday 09
ft, °F	9AM	12PM	3PM	6PM
Wave (m)	WSW	WSW	WSW	WSW
Period (s)	11	16	16	16
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	off	glass	cross- off	off

What does Waiwakaiho look like?

Latest photos from Waiwakaiho. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Graham B Credit: Booger G Credit: Graham B Credit: Graham Billinghurst Credit: Shannon Hutchison

Tides at Waiwakaiho

Current tide and informaton

For New Plymouth, 4 km from Waiwakaiho.

Next High Water: 04:14pm | 2.48m

Next Low Water: 10:26pm | 0.74m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Waiwakaiho Sea Temperature

The water temperature (16.7 °C) at Waiwakaiho is quite cool. If the sun does come out as forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good sealed spring wetsuit. Some surfers would prefer to wear gloves and boots too. Effective windchill factor of (13.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit, neoprene gloves and boots.