Karekare Surf Break

Lat Long: 37.00° S 174.48° E

Karekare Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 am 08 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Karekare sea temperature is
14.6°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 8 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 11 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 19s period, SW swell with cross-shore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 11 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 19s period, SW swell with 16,345 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 12s 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 Wednesday (Sep 09) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Karekare in the next 16 days are 5.0m 19s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 11) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)12AM (Wed 9th Sep)6ft (1.8m) 12s
Best Surf 6AM (Fri 11th Sep)16ft (5.0m) 19s
Most Powerful 6AM (Fri 11th Sep)16ft (5.0m) 19s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what’s coming down the pipe for Karekare. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, so let’s get into it.

First up, we’ve got a couple of days midweek that are looking really good. Wednesday the 9th is the standout in this outlook. The morning is showing a clean 5ft swell from the WSW, with a 12-second period. That’s got some decent energy behind it (843 in the combined reading) and the wind is a light cross-offshore, so the waves will be clean. Then Wednesday afternoon, it goes even better – the wind turns glassy, and the swell drops just a touch to 4ft, but it’s still got that nice 12-second period from the WSW. The water temperature is sitting at 58°, which is pretty much spot on average for this time of year. Grab that afternoon session if you can.

Now, after that little window, things get a bit wild. By Friday the 11th, we’re looking at a massive 16ft swell on the way from the SW, with an 18-second period. That’s a huge, long-period groundswell pumping in (combined energy of 15449). But the wind is a fresh cross-onshore at 19 mph, making it lumpy, and honestly, that size is only for the experts. It’s going to be a washing machine. This big swell pattern sticks around through the weekend and into the start of the following week, with wave heights staying well above 8ft and messy cross-onshore winds making conditions poor or even dangerous for most.

There’s a long gap of surf that’s just too big or too messy for a good recommendation all the way through to the weekend of the 20th and 21st. By Sunday the 21st, the swell drops back to a more manageable 8ft from the WSW, but the wind is a cross-shore, and the wave comment is calling it marginal. It’s not a write-off, but it’s not the clean Wednesday we had.

So, to be straight with you: Wednesday the 9th is your best bet. It’s clean, it’s got a good shape, and the crowd situation at Karekare is possible, but worth it for those conditions. The rest of the period is either too big for a fun paddle or just too choppy to be worth the hassle.

Keep your eyes on the sky, and I’ll see you out there.

Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 14°C on Wed morning, min 10°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (calm on Tue night, strong winds from the SSW by Thu night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 10°C on Fri morning). Mainly strong winds.

Tuesday
8
Wednesday
9
Thursday
10
Friday
11
Saturday
12
Sunday
13
Monday
14
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
1
4
3
3
3
1
0
0
0
!
0
0
0
0
!
0
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)
2.1
WSW
14
1.7
SW
11
1.8
SW
12
1.5
WSW
12
1.3
WSW
12
1.9
WSW
11
1.2
WSW
18
1.7
WSW
11
2
WSW
16
3
WSW
19
5
SW
18
5
WSW
17
5
SW
16
4.5
SW
11
4.5
SW
16
4.5
SW
16
4
SW
17
4
WSW
16
4
SW
16
3.5
SW
15
3
SW
15
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
1699
652
918
575
483
838
862
622
1904
7130
15449
13399
12685
4593
10369
9520
8499
7354
6819
5732
3873
Wind (km/h)
15
SSW
20
SW
5
NNW
10
ENE
5
NW
10
W
20
WNW
25
NW
30
SW
40
S
30
SSW
35
WSW
40
SW
35
SW
30
SW
30
WSW
30
WSW
25
SW
20
SW
20
SW
25
SW
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
glassy
cross-off
glassy
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
High Tide
7:53PM2.89m
8:21AM2.83m
8:49PM3.08m
9:14AM3.02m
9:37PM3.23m
10:00AM3.16m
10:20PM3.31m
10:42AM3.22m
11:00PM3.31m
11:21AM3.22m
11:36PM3.25m
11:56AM3.14m
00:10AM3.12m
Low Tide
1:40PM0.60m
2:20AM0.49m
2:41PM0.40m
3:13AM0.27m
3:31PM0.24m
3:58AM0.12m
4:14PM0.15m
4:39AM0.06m
4:55PM0.14m
5:17AM0.08m
5:32PM0.21m
5:54AM0.17m
6:09PM0.33m
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
light rain
light rain
rain showers
part cloud
clear
rain showers
cloud
cloud
part cloud
rain showers
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:33
6:31
6:30
6:28
6:26
6:26
6:24
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:06
6:07
6:07
6:08
6:08
6:09
6:10
 mm
1
2
6
1
1
1
Temp °C
12
13
12
14
14
12
14
14
12
11
12
13
13
12
13
14
13
13
14
14
13
Feels °C
9
9
10
11
13
10
9
9
5
2
4
6
5
4
6
8
7
7
10
10
8
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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