Anawhata Road (Oaonui) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at the Taranaki coast over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, the immediate future is looking pretty average. The strong, clean WSW groundswell that shows up in the data is pretty much always blown out by ugly onshores. We've got a real dirty run of weather through the middle of the month, so don't get your hopes up for a paddle any time soon.

The first real glimmer of hope is actually a solid, pure stand-out session, but it's a long way off. Mark your calendar for Friday 11 September morning at Anawhata Road (Oaonui), a reef break. The swell is pushing a solid 10 ft from the WSW with a very long 18-second period. The combined wave energy is strong at 6800. That’s proper groundswell. For a reef setup like this, that long period is a beautiful thing – it'll wrap in with real power and shape, offering some proper lines. The wind is a light 6 mph offshore from the SW early, so it’ll be clean. Now, with the swell this size (10 ft), this is strictly for experienced, confident surfers only – it’s going to be a big, powerful day. It's a `fairly consistent` break, and the SW swell direction is a perfect match for what this spot likes. Crowds are `sometimes` an issue, so expect company. The water temp sits around 57°F, which is pretty standard for this time of year here.

The rest of that weekend and the following week? Forget it. The wind absolutely howls from the SW, staying onshore, gusting up to 31 mph in some spots. There's plenty of size—some days hitting 16 ft—but it's a messy, blown-out churn. Not worth a second look for paddle surfing, and with the strong SW winds, it might be one for the kite crew if that's your thing.

The next interesting, but less certain, option pops up on Tuesday 22 September afternoon. The swell is still solid at 13 ft from the WSW, with a mid-range 10-second period. The game changer here is the wind – it goes glassy with a light 3 mph breeze from the SW. This is a rare moment of clean conditions on a big swell. Again, because of the size (13 ft), this is big-wave territory for experts only. The combined energy is strong at 3156. The forecast is a bit further out, so treat it as a promising but less certain call. If it comes together, it’ll be a serious session, but it's a long-range bet.

The Friday 18 September afternoon also gets a mention. The swell is a hefty 10 ft from the WSW with a 15-second period, but the wind is a stiff 25 mph cross-off from the NW. It will be clean but incredibly windy and powerful, making for a very challenging paddle. That's a hard pass for most.

To be honest, the standout is that Friday 11 September morning window. It’s got the solid size, the perfect wind, the right swell direction for the reef, and that long-period energy. Everything else is a fight against the wind until that glassy window on the 22nd. Keep an eye on the charts, but for now, that Friday is the one to circle.

Rusty.

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