Surf Forecasts:
Karekare surf forecast from 22 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 8,226 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 Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 13ft (4.0m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 13ft (4.0m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 12PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 13ft (4.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Karekare over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here. We’re looking at a wild stretch ahead for Karekare. Honestly, the next few days are a write-off for surfing – we’ve got a big gap of poor conditions before anything remotely rideable appears. The forecast is packed with heavy, unruly swell and howling onshore winds. The only bright spot, and it's a real maybe, is toward the end of the first week.
The first real chance to paddle out doesn’t come until Friday morning, 28 August. We’ve got a 7ft swell rolling in from the west, with a period of 12 seconds. It’s not huge, but the wind is a light cross-offshore breeze from the north, so the face should be clean. That’s a rarity in this outlook. The combined energy is moderate at 1391. Still, it’s not a standout – the crowd factor is unknown, but the break can get busy. Don’t expect perfection.
The rest of the period is a mess. From the 23rd to the 27th, it’s all strong onshore winds and massive, jumbled swell. Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th see swell heights hitting 13ft and 10ft with a very long 14 to 15-second period from the WSW – the wave energy is in the thousands (6277 to 7804). That’s expert territory only, and even then, the onshore wind will make it a washing machine. For anyone under that level, stay on the sand. After Friday, it goes straight back to poor on Saturday the 29th, with a 8ft cross-on swell and choppy conditions. Then Sunday the 30th, the wind cranks up to 28 mph from the west – it’s completely blown out.
The second week is a write-off for a surfer looking for a clean wave. From Monday 31 August right through to Monday 7 September, it’s all massive swell and strong to gale-force winds. Swell heights sit between 12ft and 18ft, with energy readings in the thousands and tens of thousands. The wind is cross-on or onshore and howling. It’s all too big, too messy, and frankly dangerous for most. Some of those Tuesday and Wednesday sessions have 16ft+ swells with 16-17 second periods – that’s a groundswell of serious power, but with the wind straight onshore, it’s just a mountain of whitewater. I’d say the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on most of those days.
The water temp is about average for this time of year. Nothing to report there.
Honestly, the only window that even gets a look-in is that Friday morning, 28 August. It’s not a classic, but it’s the least bad option in a very bleak 16-day run.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun morning, min 11°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NW on Sun morning, light winds from the WSW by Mon night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Fri morning, min 12°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | ||||||||||||||
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 | W 8 | W 9 | WSW 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | W 12 | WNW 9 | WSW 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 219 | 593 | 1888 | 2241 | 6277 | 7804 | 5906 | 4407 | 3745 | 2655 | 2448 | 2651 | 2212 | 1619 | 1120 | 1118 | 1290 | 627 | 1224 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 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 | 10:02AM2.90m | 10:20PM3.08m | |||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 4:03AM0.41m | 4:16PM0.37m | |||||||
 |  |  | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | |  |  |  | |
 | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — |
mm | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 18 |
Temp °C | 13 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 14 |
Feels °C | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 17 | WSW 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | W 12 | WNW 9 | WSW 13 |
| kJ | 219 | 99 | 321 | 2241 | 6277 | 7804 | 5906 | 4407 | 3745 | 2655 | 2448 | 2651 | 2212 | 1619 | 1120 | 1118 | 1290 | 627 | 1224 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 19 | WSW 19 | — | WSW 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 12 | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 142 | 146 | — | 480 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 111 | 103 | 89 | 289 | 315 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 19 | WSW 16 | — | WSW 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 16 | W 25 | WSW 14 | WSW 23 |
| kJ | 91 | 103 | — | 84 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 102 | 12 | 357 | 53 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | W 8 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 67 | 593 | 1888 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 319 | 335 | 332 | 224 | 236 | 236 | 236 | 236 | 236 | 236 | 222 | 335 | 147 | 127 | 319 | 0 | 335 | 127 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Auckland | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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