Surf Forecasts:
Arawhata surf forecast from 10 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 13 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 17s period, WSW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 17 Aug, 12AM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 10s period, SSE swell with 4,437 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 11 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 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 Tuesday (Aug 11) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 1.3m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.8m and 5s is also forecast. 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 5.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 7s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3AM (Tue 11th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 16ft (5.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Arawhata over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. We’ve got a 16-day window on the cards for Arawhata, and it’s a real mixed bag, so let’s break it down.
The first few days are a bit of a slow start with choppy, onshore conditions blowing out a moderate energy swell. Hold your horses though, because once the wind settles, we get a solid run of clean surf kicking off on Tuesday, August 11th. That morning sees a clean 4ft groundswell from the WSW with a light offshore touch – it's not huge, but the wave quality is there and it’s a good one to ease into.
The first standout is Thursday, August 13th. We’ve got a moderate energy pulse pushing in at 5ft from the WNW with a moderate offshore wind all through the afternoon. The water temp is sitting at a typical 57°F for this time of year, so nothing unusual there. This is where things get really fun and it’s the best we’ll see for a while.
From Saturday, August 15th, the swell cranks up big time – we’re talking 7ft on Saturday morning and building to 8ft by the afternoon with a strong cross-onshore wind. By Sunday, it's a full-on 8ft to 13ft but blown out by gale-force winds. This stretch is not for paddle surfing; this is more of a kite session if you’ve got the gear, as the swell energy is very strong.
After that chaos, we get a reward. The real gold is the second standout: a fantastic, glassy stretch from Tuesday, August 18th through Friday, August 21st. Tuesday morning is glassy with a 5ft WSW groundswell, and that wave quality holds all week. The wind goes dead calm or glassy, and the swell settles into a clean, consistent 4ft to 5ft range with a longer period. Thursday afternoon and all of Friday are absolute perfection with glassy conditions and a clean 5ft swell. You’ll want to be in the water then.
The swell drops off over the weekend of August 23rd into the following week, with smaller, weaker energy and cross-shore winds, so the magic fades. There’s a brief blip on Tuesday, August 25th with a 5ft swell pushing back in, but the cross-shore wind makes it a bit lumpy.
So, top tip: aim for August 13th (Thursday) for the biggest clean swell of the first week, and then lock in August 18th (Tuesday) through August 21st (Friday) for the most perfect, glassy conditions of the whole run. The rest is either too blown out or too small.
Stay stoked,
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 14°C on Wed afternoon, min 10°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 40mm), heaviest during Sat night. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu afternoon, min 11°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu night, strong winds from the SSE by Sat afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | |||||||||||||||
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 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 18 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 17 | WSW 17 | WSW 18 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | SSE 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 768 | 627 | 638 | 434 | 295 | 182 | 310 | 223 | 265 | 388 | 485 | 601 | 674 | 811 | 1148 | 2147 | 3675 | 3814 | 3075 | 2648 | 4437 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross | off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross |
High Tide | 7:51PM3.11m | 8:15AM3.04m | 8:43PM3.32m | 9:08AM3.21m | 9:32PM3.48m | 9:55AM3.33m | 10:16PM3.56m | 10:38AM3.37m | 10:58PM3.54m | 11:19AM3.33m | 11:38PM3.43m | 11:58AM3.23m | 00:15AM3.27m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:34PM0.70m | 2:06AM0.60m | 2:31PM0.47m | 2:58AM0.38m | 3:20PM0.27m | 3:45AM0.22m | 4:05PM0.15m | 4:30AM0.14m | 4:48PM0.12m | 5:13AM0.14m | 5:28PM0.18m | 5:55AM0.22m | 6:08PM0.32m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  | |  |  |  | | |  | | | |  |  |  | | | |
 | 7:18 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — |
 | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | — | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | 1 | 7 | 20 | 13 | 5 | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
Feels °C | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 0 | -7 | -7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 7 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | SW 12 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 17 | WSW 17 | WSW 18 | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 |
| kJ | 768 | 627 | 175 | 434 | 295 | 159 | 310 | 223 | 265 | 388 | 485 | 337 | 674 | 811 | 1148 | 2147 | 3675 | 3814 | 3075 | 2648 | 1447 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 9 | NNW 8 | WSW 14 | SSE 5 | WSW 19 | WSW 18 | SSE 8 | WNW 13 | WSW 15 | N 7 | N 7 | WSW 17 | W 10 | WSW 18 | NW 7 | W 11 | W 10 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 172 | 103 | 638 | 31 | 214 | 182 | 12 | 55 | 123 | 159 | 203 | 601 | 226 | 251 | 19 | 10 | 68 | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 10 | NNW 8 | WSW 7 | W 7 | SSE 4 | W 14 | SSE 7 | WSW 19 | WSW 14 | WSW 16 | N 7 | N 5 | NNW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 2 | 2 | 35 | 45 | 22 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 73 | 136 | 377 | 89 | 9 | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | — | SE 5 | SSE 6 | — | N 5 | N 7 | NNW 7 | — | — | — | SE 3 | SE 4 | SSE 5 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 10 |
| kJ | 305 | 258 | — | 62 | 33 | — | 27 | 206 | 171 | — | — | — | 2 | 13 | 111 | 1040 | 886 | 278 | 33 | 406 | 4437 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 189 | 205 | 20 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 22 | 25 | 30 | 45 | 146 | 154 | 165 |
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.
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