Surf Forecasts:
Arawhata surf forecast from 11 Sep 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 12 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 16s period, WSW swell with 9,599 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Arawhata this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Arawhata in the next 16 days are 4.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 17) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Arawhata over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaking. The water’s sitting at 57.4°F, which is pretty standard for this time of year, nothing wild going on temperature-wise.
Honestly, it’s a rough start. We’ve got a massive, powerful swell on the way in from the WSW, with wave energy readings hitting a staggering 7383 (strong to very strong), but the wind is howling straight on from the SW at 25 mph. That’s going to be a washing machine out there. The whole first week is pretty much a write-off for any kind of decent paddle session. We get a tiny glimpse of hope on Tuesday the 15th morning with a smaller 4.6ft swell from the WSW, but it’s still got that cross-onshore wind messing it up. It’s a no-go.
The first real standout actually pops up a week from Thursday, on the 17th of September. The wind turns cross-offshore from the NNW at 22 mph. A raw 7.5ft WSW swell (period 13s) is on the cards for the morning, and the wave energy is 3052 (strong). It’s a bit of a beast at that size and will be punching hard. This is for experienced surfers only, no place for beginners. Crowds are possible at Arawhata, and this kind of swell loves that reef setup.
The best on offer is clear as day on the 22nd of September, Tuesday morning. The swell drops to a more friendly 4.3ft from the WSW, moving with a 12-second period. A light cross-offshore breeze from the NW at just 6 mph will have the lineup looking glassy. The wave energy is a manageable 647 (moderate), so it won’t be a paddling marathon. This is the one to circle.
After that, things get messy again with more strong onshore winds and very large, powerful swells, including a 11.5ft, 17-second wave on the 24th that is pure grunt (7538 energy). The weekend of the 27th and 28th finishes strong though. Both mornings and afternoons show a clean 6.2ft WSW swell with a light to moderate cross-offshore breeze from the NNE. Wave energy is solid at around 1400, and the conditions are set for a fantastic run. The wind is light and clean, making it excellent for experienced surfers. It’s a promising end to a long forecast period.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Sun morning, min 11°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Sat morning, light winds from the SW by Sun night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu morning, min 11°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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 10 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | W 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 4499 | 3102 | 8875 | 2182 | 1904 | 4396 | 3023 | 2529 | 1042 | 774 | 672 | 412 | 295 | 286 | 1047 | 1866 | 1033 | 1672 | 2615 | 2479 | 1980 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross |
High Tide | 10:15AM3.33m | 10:32PM3.42m | 10:52AM3.31m | 11:08PM3.33m | 11:27AM3.24m | 11:42PM3.19m | 12:01PM3.12m | 00:16AM3.01m | 12:36PM2.97m | 00:52AM2.82m | 1:15PM2.80m | 1:36AM2.63m | 2:03PM2.62m | 2:35AM2.45m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:24PM0.14m | 4:46AM0.12m | 5:02PM0.20m | 5:23AM0.19m | 5:38PM0.34m | 5:59AM0.33m | 6:15PM0.52m | 6:35AM0.50m | 6:54PM0.73m | 7:12AM0.70m | 7:38PM0.93m | 7:55AM0.90m | 8:30PM1.11m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | | | | | | | |  |  | |  | |  |  | | | | |
 | 6:31 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — |
 | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 19 | — | 3 | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Feels °C | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | S 15 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | W 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 |
| kJ | 1606 | 3102 | 74 | 2182 | 1904 | 4396 | 3023 | 2529 | 1042 | 774 | 672 | 412 | 295 | 286 | 1047 | 1866 | 1033 | 1672 | 2615 | 2479 | 1980 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 16 | S 17 | — | — | WSW 16 | S 10 | SSE 4 | S 9 | WSW 14 | S 9 | S 8 | S 9 | S 9 | SW 18 | — | WSW 14 | W 10 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | NNW 8 |
| kJ | 1278 | 24 | — | — | 1343 | 17 | 3 | 14 | 732 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | — | 522 | 479 | 122 | 46 | 57 | 44 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | S 9 | — | SSE 8 | — | SSE 8 | — | — | — | — | S 8 | — | — | — | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | 7 | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 53 | 23 | 8 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 10 | WSW 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | — | — | WSW 15 | WSW 8 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | WSW 6 | W 6 | NNW 5 | WNW 10 | NNW 5 | SSE 7 | SSE 5 | SSE 4 | — |
| kJ | 4499 | 2628 | 8875 | 1968 | 1547 | — | — | 1966 | 410 | 310 | 285 | 248 | 139 | 106 | 35 | 664 | 87 | 166 | 38 | 24 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 162 | 203 | 221 | 203 | 97 | 60 | 60 | 97 | 60 | 60 | 256 | 97 | 97 | 262 | 71 | 97 | 97 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 7 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Taranaki | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Arawhata surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest