Karekare Surf Break

Lat Long: 37.00° S 174.48° E

Karekare Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 pm 23 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Karekare sea temperature is
13.7°C
0.4° 

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


Karekare surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 15s period, WSW swell with cross-onshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 15s period, WSW swell with 8,120 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 15s period with WSW 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 Monday (Aug 24) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 4.0m and 15s period. 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 4.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)12PM (Mon 24th Aug)13ft (4.0m) 15s
Best Surf12PM (Mon 24th Aug)13ft (4.0m) 15s
Most Powerful12PM (Mon 24th Aug)13ft (4.0m) 15s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down the next couple of weeks for the West Coast. It’s a bit of a wild ride, so let’s get into it.

First off, the water is sitting right around 56.5°F, which is about normal for this time of year. So, no surprises there, just your standard chilly winter setup.

We're starting off with a bit of a dud. Sunday the 23rd is a complete write-off. There’s some swell around 7.5ft, but a fresh cross-onshore breeze is going to have it lumpy and messy. Not worth your time. That afternoon, it jumps up to nearly 10ft with rain and a strong onshore wind. That’s a hard pass.

Monday the 24th is where it gets interesting, but tricky. We’ve got a big, powerful groundswell pushing in from the WSW. The morning shows a solid 13ft with a 14-second period and a moderate cross-onshore breeze. The combined energy is strong. The forecast says the wind and tide are favorable, but it’s just too big for Karekare. This is expert-only territory. If you have to paddle out, you’re in for a battle. The swell is predicted to be too big for this break. Tuesday the 25th stays similar, with around 10ft of WSW swell and a 15-second period. The morning looks OK on paper, but again, it’s still a lot of water moving. The afternoon turns to poor conditions with a cross-onshore breeze chopping it up.

By Wednesday the 26th, it drops a bit to around 8ft, but it's still a lot of energy with a 14-second period. The conditions are marginal at best. Light winds, but still that cross-onshore component. It’s rideable for the experienced crew but nothing to write home about. Thursday the 27th is much the same, around 7ft, with light winds. Still, just marginal.

Friday the 28th, things get weird. The morning drops right off to a weak 3ft with a cross-shore breeze and a 14-second period. The energy is weak. It’s not doing much. The afternoon sees the swell jump back to 7ft, but a fresh cross-onshore breeze makes it lumpy again. Not good.

Saturday the 29th has a small, clean-ish 6ft swell with light winds. It’s still on the marginal side, but the 12-second period from the WSW offers a bit of shape. It’s a scrappy, small day that might give you a few fun ones if you’re not picky.

Sunday the 30th sees the swell drop right back to around 3.5ft, though the period stretches out to a very long 18 seconds. This is a long-period groundswell, which at a beach break like Karekare can be tough, often breaking too straight. The morning has some rain showers and a gentle breeze, but the afternoon brings in a moderate onshore wind. Not great.

Now, here’s where the plot thickens. On Monday the 31st, we’ve got a serious pulse of SW groundswell. The morning shows a monstrous 14.8ft with a 13-second period and a fresh cross-onshore wind. The energy is strong. It’s just going to be a washing machine out there. Tuesday the 1st of September is even bigger, with the combined energy hitting a huge number and a 16-second period. But again, it’s around 13ft and crossed-up. This is a massive, unsurfable mess for Karekare. Wednesday the 2nd is still big and blown out.

Let’s be real, from the 24th through the 4th, the swell is there, but it’s either too big, too messy, or too onshore for Karekare to be any good. It’s just a write-off for the paddle crew.

The only faint glimmer in this whole stretch is Thursday the 3rd of September. We’ve got around 11.5ft in the morning and 14.8ft in the afternoon from the WSW with a 15-second period. The afternoon has light cross-onshore winds and the report says the wind and tide are favorable, but once again, it’s flagged as too big for this break. If you’re a madman on a big-wave board, maybe, but for everyone else it’s a no-go.

The rest of the run into the second week – the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th – is a story of smaller swells but persistent cross-onshore winds. It’s all poor to marginal. There’s nothing that jumps out as clean or rideable for the average surfer.

So, what’s the call? Honestly, there’s no real standout day in this 16-day window for Karekare. The surf is either too big, too small, or just plain messy. It’s a blank run for the most part, which is a bit rough for the area. The best you can hope for is to pick off a few waves on the small, clean

Short Range Forecast

Some drizzle, heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WNW on Sun afternoon, light winds from the WSW by Wed morning).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri morning, min 11°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Sun
23
Monday
24
Tuesday
25
Wednesday
26
Thursday
27
Friday
28
Saturday
29
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
!
!
!
!
1
1
2
2
3
3
3
2
2
4
1
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
3.5
W
9
3.5
WSW
11
4
WSW
14
4
WSW
15
3.5
WSW
15
3
WSW
15
3
WSW
15
2.5
WSW
14
2.5
WSW
14
2.5
WSW
14
2.4
WSW
14
2.1
WSW
13
1.8
WSW
13
1.7
WSW
12
1
WSW
14
1.8
WNW
10
2.2
WNW
9
1.8
WSW
12
1.9
WSW
11
1
WSW
19
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
1847
2779
6798
7701
5634
4275
3526
2655
2651
2826
2033
1497
1100
826
419
603
711
874
853
716
Wind (km/h)
40
WNW
25
SW
20
WSW
15
SW
15
WSW
20
WSW
20
WSW
20
WSW
15
WSW
15
W
10
NW
10
NNW
5
W
15
NNE
20
NNE
20
NNW
5
N
15
WSW
20
SW
15
W
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
on
on
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross
on
cross-off
cross-off
cross
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
on
High Tide
6:29PM2.37m
6:57AM2.26m
7:32PM2.50m
7:55AM2.41m
8:20PM2.66m
8:41AM2.59m
9:02PM2.83m
9:22AM2.76m
9:41PM2.98m
10:02AM2.90m
10:20PM3.08m
10:41AM2.99m
10:58PM3.14m
Low Tide
1:03AM1.14m
1:19PM1.04m
2:05AM0.97m
2:16PM0.87m
2:49AM0.77m
2:59PM0.68m
3:26AM0.58m
3:39PM0.51m
4:03AM0.41m
4:16PM0.37m
4:39AM0.29m
4:54PM0.29m
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
light rain
rain showers
clear
cloud
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:54
6:52
6:52
6:50
6:48
6:48
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:53
5:53
5:54
5:55
5:57
5:58
5:58
 mm
1
1
5
1
Temp °C
15
14
14
13
13
13
13
13
14
14
13
15
15
13
16
16
13
14
14
14
Feels °C
8
8
9
9
10
9
9
10
12
12
11
13
13
12
12
13
11
9
9
10
  • 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