Aropaonui Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Hawkes Bay, New Zealand)

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- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
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Weather State
Spot Information

Aropaonui Surf Guide

Aropaonui in Hawkes Bay is an exposed reef break that has fairly consistent surf and can work at any time of the year. The best wind direction is from the northwest. Groundswells more frequent than windswells and the ideal swell angle is from the east northeast. A reef breaks left. Best around mid tide. Rarely crowded here. Surfing here means negotiating dangerous rips.

Aropaonui Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Sandbar	3	fairly consistent	15.8°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Aropaonui:

The best conditions reported for surf at Aropaonui occur when a East-southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northwest.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Aropaonui (for consistent clean waves)?

mayBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Aropaonui with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of May. Clean surfable waves are typically found 46% of the time in May while 34% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 20% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

46%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

34%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

20%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Aropaonui Location Map

Interactive Aropaonui surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Aropaonui is Taupo Airport (TUO) in New Zealand, 99 km (61 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Aropaonui is Gisborne Airport (GIS), also in New Zealand, 109 km (68 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Aropaonui Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 15:23 Local Time

m, °C	Tuesday 05			Wed
ft, °F	3PM	6PM	9PM	0AM
Wave (m)	S	S	S	S
Period (s)	9	18	17	16
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	glass	glass	cross- off	glass

What does Aropaonui look like?

Latest photos from Aropaonui. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: HAMISH MCMILLAN

Tides at Aropaonui

Current tide and informaton

For Aropaonui, 0 km from Aropaonui.

Next High Water: 08:30pm | 1.49m

Next Low Water: 02:53am | 0.27m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Aropaonui Sea Temperature

The water temperature (15.8 °C) at Aropaonui is quite cool. If the sun shines as we have forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good spring wetsuit. Effective windchill factor of (16.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 15.8°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite