Karekare Surf Break

Lat Long: 37.00° S 174.48° E

Karekare Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 pm 04 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Karekare sea temperature is
14.1°C
0.0° 

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


Karekare surf forecast from 4 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 5 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, WSW swell with cross-onshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 11 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 21ft (6.5m), 19s period, WSW swell with 26,727 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 5 Sep, 3AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 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 Saturday (Sep 05) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m 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 6.5m 19s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 11) at 6PM. 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+) 3AM (Sat 5th Sep)10ft (3.0m) 15s
Best Surf 3AM (Sat 5th Sep)10ft (3.0m) 15s
Most Powerful 6PM (Fri 11th Sep)21ft (6.5m) 19s

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


The Lowdown

Righto, let’s have a look at what Karekare’s got cookin’ for the next couple of weeks.

Gotta be straight with ya – the opening stretch of the forecast is a bit of a fizzer. There’s no use paddlin’ out this Friday or Saturday. Friday’s a complete write-off with a howling cross-on NW wind at 19 mph making a mess of an 8ft WSW swell, and the water’s sittin’ at a pretty average 57°F. That combined wave energy is a hefty 3178, but it’s all just lumpy, choppy slop. Saturday serves up way too much juice – an 12ft to 13ft WSW swell, with a long period of 14 seconds, but it’s simply too big for this setup, plus the onshore winds’ll be blowin’.

The first real glimmer of hope comes through on Sunday the 6th in the morning. We’ve got a solid 12ft swell from the WSW, with a really long period of 16 seconds – that’s groundswell with some serious grunt. The combined energy is a huge 6432, so that ocean is absolutely loaded. The wind’s a light WNW cross-on, which isn’t perfect, but it’s manageable. That long period will want to run a bit straight on the beach, so keep an eye on the tide, but there’ll be plenty of power. The crowds can be a factor here – they’re ‘sometimes’ an issue, so get in early.

After that, it’s a messy week. Monday the 7th has a bumpy cross-shore wind and a big 10ft south-west swell, but the conditions will be lumpy. Tuesday to Thursday is a mix of onshore winds and marginal, poor-quality surf. It’s not worth your time, really.

Now, for the real standout – but it’s a long way off, so take it with a grain of salt. Friday the 11th of September is looking absolutely mental. The models are spittin’ out a monstrous 23ft to 26ft swell from the WSW, with a very long period of 19-20 seconds. The combined energy readings are off the charts at 35681 and 43921 – that’s a proper big ocean event. It’s way, way too big for the average punter, and the wind is a fresh cross-shore. This is strictly for the big-wave crew, and only if you know Karekare’s channel inside-out. The swell direction matches the optimum SW.

Followin’ that, the swell drops from Saturday the 12th, but it’s still in the 10ft to 20ft range for a few days with strong, messy winds. Not ideal for a fun paddle.

The only other moment that looks even remotely clean is the morning of Tuesday the 15th of September, when a 10ft SW groundswell meets a light S cross-offshore wind, creating clean faces. But that’s still a big swell (over 8ft) and that combined energy of 4101 is still massive, so it’s expert territory only.

To be honest, outside of that insane swell on the 11th, which is a proper weather-window kind of event, the rest of the period is pretty average for a standard surf. Karekare is fairly consistent, so when it’s not good here, it means the whole coast is probably coppin’ it. The ocean’s gonna be angry for a lot of this run.

Stay safe, pick your moments.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Mon morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri afternoon, min 13°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Fri afternoon, light winds from the NW by Sat night).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Some drizzle, heaviest during Mon afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon afternoon, min 11°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Fri
4
Saturday
5
Sunday
6
Monday
7
Tuesday
8
Wednesday
9
Thursday
10
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
!
!
0
!
0
0
4
!
!
3
3
3
3
1
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)
3.5
W
16
3.5
WSW
15
3.5
WSW
14
4
WSW
14
4
WSW
14
3.5
WSW
16
3.5
WSW
17
3
WSW
16
2.5
WSW
16
2.5
WSW
15
2
WSW
14
3.5
W
12
3.5
W
11
2.4
WSW
10
1.7
WSW
12
2.3
WSW
13
2.3
WSW
12
2.2
WSW
11
2
WSW
11
4.5
WSW
9
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
6194
4774
4948
5875
6105
6290
7129
4543
3480
3241
1624
3936
3020
1124
718
1750
1547
1162
906
3188
Wind (km/h)
35
WNW
25
SW
15
WSW
20
WSW
15
WNW
15
WNW
20
NW
20
N
25
NNW
25
NW
5
W
15
W
20
W
5
W
5
ENE
10
SW
10
SW
20
W
25
W
35
SW
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
glassy
on
on
on
glassy
cross-on
cross-on
on
on
cross-on
High Tide
3:23AM2.52m
4:09PM2.58m
4:40AM2.44m
5:28PM2.60m
6:01AM2.48m
6:45PM2.71m
7:17AM2.63m
7:53PM2.89m
8:21AM2.83m
8:49PM3.08m
9:14AM3.02m
9:37PM3.23m
Low Tide
9:21PM0.79m
9:48AM0.71m
10:33PM0.87m
11:01AM0.79m
11:54PM0.86m
12:23PM0.75m
1:15AM0.72m
1:40PM0.60m
2:20AM0.49m
2:41PM0.40m
3:13AM0.27m
3:31PM0.24m
light rain
clear
clear
clear
clear
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
light rain
thunderstorm
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:37
6:35
6:35
6:33
6:31
6:30
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:02
6:04
6:05
6:06
6:06
6:07
6:07
 mm
2
3
1
9
Temp °C
15
13
13
13
14
14
14
15
15
16
13
15
14
13
14
14
12
14
13
11
Feels °C
10
8
9
8
11
10
10
11
11
12
12
12
11
11
12
12
10
9
8
3
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  • 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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