Surf Forecasts:
Karekare surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period, WSW swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 16s period, WSW swell with 8,289 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s 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 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.5m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 1.3m and 16s. 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 16s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 3PM. 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+) | 9AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 3PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 13ft (4.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Karekare over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for our local stretch—Karekare. To be honest, it’s a bit of a mixed bag over the next 16 days. We’ve got some serious size coming through, but the wind is going to be a pest for most of it. The water temp is sitting at 57°F, which is about normal for this time of year—nothing out of the ordinary there.
The first real chance to paddle out hits on Thursday the 20th, early. It’s a clear morning with a light SSE breeze—that’s a clean cross-off wind, keeping the surface glassy. We’ve got a solid 8ft SW groundswell with a nice 14-second period and a combined energy reading of 2155—plenty of grunt in the water. This is for experienced surfers, no doubt, because the swell is pushing above 8ft. For the crew who can handle it, the wave quality is going to be excellent.
Thursday afternoon, the wind swings SW and picks up to 9 mph, turning cross-on and making things choppy. The swell is still around 7ft, but the texture drops off quick. Friday the 21st is a write-off—onshore wind all day, messy and lumpy.
Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd are a bust. Saturday is onshore and choppy, while Sunday turns into a windblown mess with a 25 mph WNW breeze whipping up 12ft of lumpy ocean. The energy readings go through the roof—2762 on Sunday afternoon—but with that cross-on wind, it’s just a washing machine. For kite surfers, this would look interesting, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a hard no.
Monday the 24th delivers another dose of serious size—13ft SW swell with a 16-second period and a massive combined energy of 8289. The wind is cross-on again, but the notes say wind and tide are favorable. Still, 13ft is only for the most experienced, and the lack of offshore wind is a letdown. Tuesday the 25th is similar—triple overhead and clean enough, but those 10ft SW swells are still heavy and lined up. Honestly, if you’ve got the skills and a big wave board, Monday and Tuesday mornings are the standout sessions this far out—just know you’ll want a buddy for safety.
From Wednesday the 26th onward, things start to drop. The size eases, but the wind is messy or cross-on. Thursday the 27th morning sees a 10ft SW swell with a NNE breeze—cross-off and clean, but the height is still a handful for most. After that, we get a nice run from Friday the 28th through Sunday the 30th. Friday morning is the pick: 5ft SW swell, 12-second period, and a light NNE cross-off wind keeping it clean. The energy is moderate at 1120, but the quality is there for an intermediate session. Friday afternoon and Saturday are still clean with cross-off winds, but the swell drops a bit.
The end of August and start of September fizzle out. Sunday the 30th has some rain and fresh ENE winds, but the swell is small. By Tuesday September 2nd, it’s down to tiny 1ft swell with a 21-second period—that’s a lot of time between sets, and the onshore wind kills it. The final days see a spike in wind—28 mph SW on Thursday September 3rd—but the swell is messy and crossed-up.
So, to wrap it up: the best bets are Thursday morning August 20th for a clean, meaty session for the experienced, and Monday/Tuesday August 24th-25th for those who chase real size. The second week is much quieter and less reliable. Keep an eye on the wind, because when it’s off, Karekare can be world-class.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat morning, min 9°C on Thu morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSE on Thu morning, fresh winds from the NW by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 11°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NW on Sun morning, light winds from the SW by Mon night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | W 7 | W 8 | W 10 | WSW 12 | WSW 14 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
2155 | 1598 | 1253 | 1061 | 833 | 934 | 752 | 318 | 226 | 1071 | 2441 | 2241 | 4610 | 8289 | 5789 | 4347 | 3601 | 2280 | 1826 | 1774 | 2453 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 3:05PM2.55m | 3:21AM2.39m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:26PM1.04m | 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 | |||||||||
7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | |
— | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 |
Feels °C | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 19 | WSW 17 | WNW 10 | WSW 14 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 |
2155 | 1598 | 1253 | 1061 | 833 | 934 | 752 | 318 | 219 | 146 | 321 | 318 | 4610 | 8289 | 5789 | 4347 | 3601 | 2280 | 1826 | 1774 | 2453 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | SW 16 | — | — | SW 6 | WSW 19 | WSW 16 | — | WSW 18 | WSW 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | 271 | — | — | 32 | 142 | 104 | — | 216 | 907 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 6 | SSW 6 | SW 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 97 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 4 | — | — | — | — | WNW 5 | W 7 | W 8 | W 10 | WSW 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | 20 | — | — | — | — | 40 | 226 | 1071 | 2441 | 2241 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 90 | 122 | 90 | 132 | 122 | 172 | 317 | 335 | 335 | 332 | 124 | 236 | 236 | 222 | 236 | 236 | 127 | 6 | 295 | 127 |
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.











