
Surf Forecasts:
Arawhata surf forecast from 25 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 20ft (6.0m), 14s period, WSW swell with onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 25 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 20ft (6.0m), 14s period, WSW swell with 14,112 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 25 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 20ft (6.0m), 14s period with WSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Arawhata this week:
The surf forecast for Arawhata over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 6.0m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 5.5m and 14s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 6s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be onshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Arawhata in the next 16 days are 6.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 7s period and expected on Friday (Jul 31) at 12AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 20ft (6.0m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 20ft (6.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 20ft (6.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Arawhata over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Arawhata’s got cookin’ over the next couple of weeks. The immediate picture is a little rough, but patience is gonna pay off.
The week kicks off with a big, messy pulse on Saturday, July 25th. The morning is a write-off with a strong 22 mph cross-on westerly and lumpy 8ft, 16-second swell – you don’t wanna be out there. That afternoon, the wind cranks up to 28 mph from the southwest and the swell jacks to a thumping 20ft. That’s massive, expert-only territory, and honestly, it’s too much even for this exposed reef. The water temp is sitting at 58°F, which is pretty average for this time of year.
Now, Sunday July 26th is where we start talking. The morning glass-off is on with a light 3 mph easterly cross-off breeze. The swell drops to a solid 10ft from the WSW, with a long 14-second period. That’s serious groundswell energy. The combined energy is a meaty 3834 (moderate energy), and the conditions are clean. This is for experienced surfers only, but if you’ve got the skills, this is a standout. It’s crowded sometimes at Arawhata, so expect company if the word gets out.
Monday July 27th morning is a true gem – glassy conditions with a 3 mph northeasterly wind, swell dropping to a still-chunky 7ft from the west, 13-second period. The combined energy is 1611 (moderate). This is clean, powerful reef surf. One of the best windows in the whole forecast.
After that, the surf slowly fades through the middle of the week. Tuesday and Wednesday see dropping swell, with clean but small 3-5ft waves. Nothing to write home about, but okay for a longboard if you’re desperate.
There’s a little spike on Friday July 31st morning with 8ft from the NW, but the period is a short 9 seconds and the wind is a strong 25 mph cross-off. It’s clean but rippy and messy. The afternoon brings a nicer 15-second, 6ft WSW swell with offshore winds, but it’s still hard work.
The first weekend of August (1st and 2nd) looks average at best. Saturday morning has 5ft with moderate offshore wind – clean enough, but the energy is dropping (1457, moderate energy). Sunday is small.
Then the second week kicks off with a big, long-period event on Monday August 3rd. You’ve got 7ft, 18-second swell from the WSW in the morning, building to 7ft in the afternoon. The combined energy hits 2704 and 2749 respectively (moderate to strong). The wind is onshore from the southwest, so the face might be bumpy, but that is a very long period groundswell – perfect for this reef. This one is promising but less certain this far out; keep an eye on it.
The rest of that week stays in the 6ft to 7ft range, with clean cross-off winds on the Wednesday and Friday mornings. Not huge, but consistent. The final days (August 6th to 9th) fizzle out with junk – small, short-period slop and lumpy cross-shore winds.
Best of the period: Sunday July 26th morning and Monday July 27th morning for the clean, powerful, long-period groundswell. August 3rd is a dark horse for the strong energy and very long period.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Very mild (max 11°C on Sat morning, min 8°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (near gales from the SW on Sat morning, calm by Mon morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu morning, min 9°C on Tue morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the E on Tue night, strong winds from the N by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 16 | WSW 12 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | W 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 16 | NW 9 | WSW 15 | WSW 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
3298 | 11625 | 8103 | 3811 | 2471 | 1161 | 1606 | 1118 | 767 | 486 | 325 | 265 | 218 | 214 | 777 | 528 | 512 | 706 | 1070 | 1358 | 2060 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:10PM2.64m | 7:29AM2.60m | 7:58PM2.78m | 8:17AM2.73m | 8:39PM2.93m | 8:59AM2.86m | 9:16PM3.06m | 9:37AM2.98m | 9:51PM3.18m | 10:12AM3.07m | 10:26PM3.27m | 10:46AM3.13m | 11:00PM3.32m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:50PM1.02m | 1:26AM1.05m | 1:45PM0.92m | 2:12AM0.93m | 2:30PM0.79m | 2:52AM0.80m | 3:09PM0.66m | 3:28AM0.68m | 3:45PM0.55m | 4:04AM0.58m | 4:19PM0.46m | 4:39AM0.49m | 4:53PM0.41m | ||||||||
7:35 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | |
— | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | |
mm | 3 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | 25 |
Temp °C | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 4 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 8 | WSW 12 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | W 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 16 | NW 9 | WSW 15 | WSW 12 |
373 | 7311 | 8103 | 3811 | 2471 | 1161 | 1606 | 1118 | 767 | 486 | 325 | 265 | 218 | 214 | 777 | 528 | 512 | 706 | 1070 | 1358 | 2060 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSE 7 | SSE 5 | SSE 7 | WNW 11 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | W 10 | SW 16 | WSW 15 | SW 15 | WSW 10 | WSW 18 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | NW 8 | NNW 7 |
— | — | 139 | 23 | 5 | 308 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 11 | 23 | 107 | 98 | 63 | 164 | 284 | 881 | 437 | 84 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | SE 7 | — | — | — | S 7 | SW 16 | W 17 | W 9 | — | — | — | W 22 | WSW 19 | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | 1 | 10 | 5 | 6 | — | — | — | 9 | 37 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 16 | WSW 12 | SSE 7 | — | SSE 5 | SSE 7 | — | — | — | SSE 7 | — | — | — | N 3 | NNW 3 | NNW 4 | NNW 6 | NNW 7 | — | — | SSE 5 |
3298 | 11625 | 257 | — | 8 | 5 | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | 5 | 6 | 39 | 143 | 804 | — | — | 20 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 97 | 189 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 93 | 71 | 97 | 97 | 97 | 97 | 93 | 7 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Taranaki | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Arawhata Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Arawhata provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Arawhata can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Arawhata surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Arawhata) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Arawhata may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in Taranaki? If you are looking for accommodation near Arawhata, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Taranaki, consider staying in New Plymouth which is 49 km (30 miles) away.










