
Surf Forecasts:
Arawhata surf forecast from 3 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 5 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 10s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 6 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 16s period, W swell with 6,766 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 5 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 10s period with W 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 Sunday (Jul 05) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 15s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Arawhata in the next 16 days are 4.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 06) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 8s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 04) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Sun 5th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Sun 5th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Mon 6th Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Arawhata over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Arawhata. It’s a reef setup that works best with a proper SW swell and loves a NE wind to keep it clean. It’s fairly consistent, but the crowds can pop up sometimes, so keep that in the back of your mind. The water’s sitting at 59°, which is pretty much what we’d expect for this time of year.
Honestly, the first week is a bit of a write-off for catching decent waves. We’ve got a long, quiet stretch here – from now through to Friday the 18th, there’s nothing really worth paddling out for. The swell sticks around the 1ft to 3ft mark for days, and the wind is all over the place – cross-off, cross, onshore... it’s just messy. The energy is weak too, with combined swell readings mostly under 1000, which is telling you there’s no grunt.
We finally see a big spike on Monday the 7th, with 12ft of WSW swell pushing through and a massive 5448 in the combined energy, with a clean offshore ENE wind. But that’s 12ft and a period of 14 seconds – that’s serious, heavy, expert-only stuff off a long-period groundswell. It’ll be clean and powerful, but not for the faint-hearted.
The rest of that week is all big numbers – Tuesday morning has 8ft from the WSW with a 15-second period and cross-off wind, still solid and clean, but again, it’s pulling energy in the 2000-3000 range. It’s not scrappy, it’s just too much for most. By Thursday and Friday the swell drops to 5ft but the period is 16 to 18 seconds, which is proper groundswell, but the wind goes cross-shore and it gets lumpy.
Now, the standout is the very last slot – Saturday the 18th. That’s the one to circle. In the morning we’ve got a glassy, flat sea with a 3ft W swell and a period of 10 seconds, and the combined energy is a modest 376. It’s not going to be big, but it’ll be clean as a whistle with a light NE breeze. The afternoon holds up with 3ft from the W and a gentle cross-off NNW wind. For a reef that needs clean conditions, this is your golden window. It’s not huge, it’s not a monster – but the quality will be there, the wind will be perfect, and it’ll be a gorgeous little session. Keep an eye on that Saturday morning.
For the rest of the 16 days, it’s a waiting game. The first big swells are all too wild or too cross. Stick with the glassy Saturday – that’s the one.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 44mm), heaviest during Sat night. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 10°C on Fri morning). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the N on Sat night, light winds from the ESE by Sun night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 32mm), heaviest during Mon morning. Very mild (max 12°C on Tue afternoon, min 9°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (moderate winds from the E on Mon night, near gales from the SSE by Wed afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 3 | Saturday 4 | Sunday 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | |||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 13 | SW 14 | W 12 | WNW 11 | NW 10 | NW 9 | WNW 9 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | S 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 19 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
63 | 41 | 51 | 229 | 778 | 2923 | 1057 | 775 | 1704 | 3501 | 5289 | 4855 | 2563 | 1700 | 1222 | 1894 | 3110 | 2138 | 1003 | 811 | 679 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 11:43AM3.02m | 11:58PM3.19m | 12:21PM2.97m | 00:36AM3.13m | 1:00PM2.91m | 1:15AM3.05m | 1:43PM2.84m | 1:59AM2.97m | 2:30PM2.77m | 2:47AM2.88m | 3:21PM2.72m | 3:42AM2.82m | 4:23PM2.71m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:51PM0.58m | 6:16AM0.65m | 6:29PM0.62m | 6:57AM0.66m | 7:10PM0.69m | 7:39AM0.68m | 7:54PM0.76m | 8:23AM0.71m | 8:43PM0.84m | 9:11AM0.75m | 9:37PM0.90m | 10:05AM0.79m | 10:40PM0.93m | ||||||||
7:45 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | |
— | 5:12 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | 7 | 1 | 18 | 17 | 2 | 3 | — | — | 9 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Feels °C | 5 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 4 | -1 | -1 | -1 | 0 | 1 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | SW 13 | WNW 5 | WNW 7 | WNW 11 | NW 10 | WSW 18 | W 10 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | SSE 8 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | SW 12 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 |
63 | 41 | 42 | 105 | 778 | 2923 | 352 | 214 | 1704 | 3501 | 159 | 4855 | 2563 | 1700 | 1222 | 408 | 538 | 220 | 788 | 811 | 545 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 16 | W 10 | W 9 | W 12 | WSW 17 | WSW 19 | W 11 | WSW 16 | WNW 11 | — | — | S 7 | N 6 | NNW 6 | — | — | WSW 18 | WSW 17 | WSW 21 | WSW 21 | WSW 19 |
26 | 19 | 27 | 229 | 28 | 210 | 62 | 376 | 972 | — | — | 131 | 26 | 7 | — | — | 33 | 264 | 89 | 176 | 679 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 14 | SW 13 | W 22 | — | — | SW 13 | W 12 | — | — | — | SSE 10 | — | — | — | — | SW 7 | — | — | — |
— | — | 51 | 44 | 9 | — | — | 84 | 74 | — | — | — | 21 | — | — | — | — | 25 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 3 | NNW 4 | N 4 | N 5 | N 7 | N 9 | NW 9 | WNW 9 | — | SSE 6 | WSW 14 | N 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 8 | S 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 |
9 | 22 | 14 | 90 | 413 | 1051 | 1057 | 775 | — | 176 | 5289 | 97 | 103 | 363 | 763 | 1894 | 3110 | 2138 | 1003 | 785 | 456 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 20 | 43 | 7 | 93 | 97 | 45 | 71 | 97 | 3 | 26 | 71 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 25 | 33 | 146 | 165 | 146 | 35 | 30 |
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.










