Surf Forecasts:
Karekare surf forecast from 21 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 15s period, WSW swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 16s period, WSW swell with 9,944 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 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 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 4.5m 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 4.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 12PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 3PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 15ft (4.5m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 3PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 15ft (4.5m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 15ft (4.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Karekare over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. We've got a bit of a mixed bag on the cards for Karekare over the next couple of weeks. The ocean is going to be pumping, no doubt about that, but the conditions around it are going to make things tricky for a while. The water’s sitting at a pretty standard 57° for this time of year, nothing to write home about that.
Looking at the whole run, we start off this Friday, the 21st of August, with a solid 6ft to 5ft SW groundswell pushing in. It's got some proper energy behind it (moderate energy around 961 to 1164), but it's hampered by a persistent cross-onshore wind. It’s going to be choppy and bumpy, more of a paddle for fitness than for fun.
Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd look even rougher. The swell jumps up over 8ft on Saturday and then hits a big 12ft on Sunday with some proper westerly wind in the mix. That’s big, ugly, and onshore – definitely an expert-only zone if you’ve got the nerve, but for the rest of us, it's a beach day.
The start of the next week, Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th, sees the swell just get downright massive, pushing 15ft on Monday. The combined energy is huge (8964 and 9324), but the forecast is clear: it's simply too big for Karekare. The cross-onshore wind is going to make it a washing machine. The conditions improve slightly on Tuesday with the wind turning more offshore, but at 10ft to 12ft, it’s still well into the too-big-for-this-break territory. This is more of a big-wave mission for absolute experts, if they even paddle out.
We finally get a window of hope on Thursday the 27th of August. The swell drops back to a manageable 6ft to 7ft from the WSW, the energy is still moderate (around 1347 to 1449), but the real story is the wind. Thursday afternoon turns glassy, absolutely dead calm. That’s the sort of clean, silky surface that turns a standard day into a special one. The swell period is a nice 13 seconds, so you'll get some proper long lines wrapping in. This is the standout of the first week. It’s a shame the crowds at Karekare are listed as "sometimes" because on a day like this, they’ll be there. Be ready for a crew.
After that little Thursday peak, things get messy again through Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th with onshore winds spoiling the party, with the swell hovering around 6ft to 7ft.
Now, looking ahead to the second week, things get interesting again. Sunday the 30th of August is still a bit marginal with a very long-period 18-second swell but some chop. Keep an eye on Monday the 31st of August though. That morning we see light offshore winds from the NNE and a clean 7ft WSW swell. Another glass-off on Monday afternoon with a 6ft swell and a clean face. That’s a quality day on the cards, similar to the Thursday before.
The 1st of September brings in another pulse of solid 12ft swell from the SW. The winds are offshore and it’s clean, but again, the forecast flags it as too big for the break. A wave for the brave and the well-equipped.
Then things get a bit wild again from the 2nd of September with strong onshore winds and huge, messy swell up to 20ft. That's just a closed-out, windy mess and not worth thinking about until the 4th or 5th of September, when the swell finally starts to back off to a more manageable 6ft.
So, to sum it up for you: the best bets in this whole 16-day run are clearly Thursday the 27th of August with the glassy afternoon session on a solid 6ft swell, and Monday the 31st of August for a clean, offshore morning. Get out there for those windows. The rest is either too big, too windy, or just not quite right.
Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Fri night, min 12°C on Fri morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Fri morning, strong winds from the NW by Sun morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Mon morning, min 11°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | |||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | W 8 | W 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
961 | 893 | 934 | 850 | 318 | 219 | 804 | 2543 | 3482 | 8964 | 9324 | 6060 | 4585 | 3922 | 2655 | 1886 | 1950 | 2187 | 1449 | 1188 | 620 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:04PM2.40m | 4:27AM2.23m | 5:15PM2.33m | 5:44AM2.19m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:49AM1.00m | 10:28PM1.17m | 10:51AM1.12m | 11:43PM1.21m | 12:05PM1.13m | 1:03AM1.14m | 1:19PM1.04m | 2:05AM0.97m | 2:16PM0.87m | 2:49AM0.77m | 2:59PM0.68m | 3:26AM0.58m | 3:39PM0.51m | ||||||||
6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | |
— | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 13 |
Feels °C | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 6 | WSW 13 | WSW 17 | WSW 18 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 |
961 | 893 | 934 | 850 | 318 | 85 | 92 | 321 | 190 | 8964 | 9324 | 6060 | 4585 | 3922 | 2655 | 1886 | 1950 | 2187 | 1449 | 1188 | 620 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 16 | — | — | W 24 | WSW 13 | WSW 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 17 | WNW 7 |
— | 271 | — | — | 11 | 219 | 146 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 159 | 125 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 19 | WSW 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 16 |
— | — | — | — | — | 142 | 103 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 103 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | W 4 | WSW 6 | NW 4 | W 8 | W 10 | WSW 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | 9 | 66 | 26 | 804 | 2543 | 3482 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 90 | 123 | 123 | 132 | 317 | 319 | 335 | 103 | 236 | 236 | 236 | 222 | 236 | 236 | 236 | 236 | 317 | 127 | 6 | 0 | 16 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Auckland | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











