Karekare Surf Break

Lat Long: 37.00° S 174.48° E

Karekare Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 am 17 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Karekare sea temperature is
14.3° C
0.5° 

Karekare surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Karekare surf forecast from 17 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 17 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, SW swell with cross-onshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 12AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 18s period, SW swell with 6,461 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 17 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period with SW swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Karekare this week:

The surf forecast for Karekare over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 17) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 1.2m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be cross-onshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Karekare in the next 16 days are 3.5m 18s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Monday (Jul 20) at 6PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 6PM (Fri 17th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 15s
Best Surf 6PM (Fri 17th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 15s
Most Powerful12AM (Sun 19th Jul)11ft (3.5m) 18s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Karekare over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, let’s get into it. Rusty here.

First up, this is a 16-day outlook for Karekare. The first real surf worth talking about kicks off Sunday, July 20th. Before that, we’ve got a rough stretch from Friday the 17th through Saturday the 19th – that’s three days of messy, cross-onshore wind and swell that’s either too big for the break or just plain ugly. Not worth paddling out for.

So, Sunday the 20th morning – that’s where we start to see a turnaround. The wind switches to a light offshore from the ENE at 6 mph, and the swell drops to a clean 8 ft from the WSW with a solid 14-second period. The water temp is about 58°, which is pretty average for the time of year, nothing unusual. This is a proper groundswell – long period, good energy, and with that offshore breeze, the waves will be holding up nicely. It’s a bit on the bigger side for beginners, but for experienced surfers, this is the standout morning of the whole forecast. The afternoon holds up too, with a light cross-off breeze and 7 ft swell.

Then Monday the 21st morning keeps it going – offshore wind from the E at 6 mph, 6 ft swell from the SW, period at 13 seconds. Clean again. The energy is moderate, but it’s a fun, manageable size for intermediate surfers. The session will be quiet, and the crowds are only sometimes an issue here, so you might have it fairly open.

After that, things start to fade. From Tuesday the 22nd through to the end of the month, it’s a long stretch of marginal conditions. The wind swings onshore or cross-onshore, the swell drops, and the quality just isn’t there. There are a few days where the swell is too big again (like the 25th with a 16 ft monster and 28 mph wind – that’s a full-on storm, not surfable), and other days where it’s just small and choppy. That’s a solid 8 or 9 days of nothing great.

But hold on – there’s a gem late in the window. Wednesday the 29th afternoon. The wind goes glassy, dead calm, with a 7 ft swell from the WSW, 13-second period, and good energy. That’s going to be clean, smooth, and lined up. For experienced surfers, this is the other real standout. It’s a long way out, but the conditions line up beautifully.

The very end of the window, Saturday the 1st of August, is a bit of a letdown – small swell and onshore wind, nothing to get excited about.

Overall, if you’re looking to paddle out, Sunday the 20th and Wednesday the 29th are your best shots. The rest is either waiting or walking.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 14°C on Fri morning, min 12°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Wed morning, min 10°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light.

Friday
17
Saturday
18
Sunday
19
Monday
20
Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
0
!
!
0
0
0
0
4
4
4
4
4
2
2
0
0
0
2
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.3
WSW
15
2.5
WSW
15
3
SW
15
3
SW
15
3
SW
15
3.5
SW
18
3
SW
17
3
SW
16
2.5
SW
15
2.4
WSW
14
2.2
SW
14
2
WSW
14
1.8
SW
13
1.7
WSW
13
1.5
WSW
13
1.2
SW
12
1.1
SW
12
0.9
SW
12
1.3
WSW
13
1.6
SW
13
2
WSW
12
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
2305
3282
3979
3873
3615
6461
5807
4518
3297
2313
1824
1487
1127
932
760
428
325
212
572
803
1221
Wind (km/h)
20
SW
20
SW
20
SW
20
SW
25
WSW
25
SW
25
WSW
20
SW
5
SSW
10
ENE
10
ENE
15
E
10
E
5
S
5
W
20
WSW
20
SW
15
WSW
5
WNW
20
W
20
WNW
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
off
cross-off
off
off
cross
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
on
on
cross-on
High Tide
12:10PM3.24m
00:32AM3.32m
12:55PM3.20m
1:15AM3.23m
1:38PM3.10m
1:57AM3.10m
2:21PM2.97m
2:40AM2.92m
3:07PM2.81m
3:25AM2.73m
3:57PM2.65m
4:19AM2.55m
4:55PM2.53m
Low Tide
6:25PM0.29m
6:50AM0.25m
7:08PM0.37m
7:34AM0.35m
7:51PM0.50m
8:17AM0.49m
8:36PM0.65m
9:03AM0.65m
9:24PM0.82m
9:52AM0.82m
10:18PM0.97m
10:47AM0.96m
11:19PM1.07m
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
clear
rain showers
light rain
light rain
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
part cloud
rain showers
light rain
light rain
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:31
7:31
7:30
7:30
7:28
7:28
7:28
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:23
5:24
5:25
5:27
5:27
5:28
5:29
 mm
3
2
3
1
1
1
1
4
3
Temp °C
14
13
13
12
13
14
14
14
14
12
12
10
12
13
13
14
14
14
13
14
13
Feels °C
10
9
9
8
8
8
9
9
12
10
10
7
11
11
11
10
10
11
12
10
9
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Karekare:

join our community of surf reporters

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 Karekare 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 Karekare Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Karekare provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Karekare can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Karekare 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 (Karekare) 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 Karekare 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.

Karekare is 14 km (9 miles) from the city of Auckland. If you plan a holiday in Auckland, look for hotels and other accommodation in Auckland. Auckland has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

Nearest locationNearest