Mahia Spit Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Gisborne and Mahia, New Zealand)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
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Weather State
Spot Information

Mahia Spit Surf Guide

Mahia Spit in Mahia is an exposed reef break that does not work very often. Summer offers the best conditions for surfing. Offshore winds are from the southwest. Groundswells more frequent than windswells and the best swell direction is from the northeast. There is a left hand reef break. Rarely crowded here. Hazards include rocks and locals.

Mahia Spit Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef	4	inconsistent	15.8°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Mahia Spit:

The best conditions reported for surf at Mahia Spit occur when a Northeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Southwest.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Mahia Spit (for consistent clean waves)?

januaryBest Season: summer

The best time of year for surfing Mahia Spit with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Summer and most often the month of January. Clean surfable waves are typically found 14% of the time in January while 31% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 55% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

14%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

31%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

55%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Mahia Spit Location Map

Interactive Mahia Spit surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Mahia Spit is Gisborne Airport (GIS) in New Zealand, 48 km (30 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Mahia Spit is Whakatane Airport (WHK), also in New Zealand, 158 km (98 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Mahia Spit Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Monday, 4 May 2026, 21:31 Local Time

m, °C	Mon	Tuesday 05
ft, °F	9PM	0AM	3AM	6AM
Wave (m)	ENE	NE	E	ENE
Period (s)	9	5	9	9
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- on	cross- on	cross- on	cross- on

What does Mahia Spit look like?

Latest photos from Mahia Spit. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Rob Davies Credit: Rob Davies Credit: Rob Davies Credit: Rob Davies Credit: Rob Davies

Tides at Mahia Spit

Current tide and informaton

For Aurora Point, 2 km from Mahia Spit.

Next High Water: 08:17am | 1.37m

Next Low Water: 02:17am | 0.26m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Mahia Spit Sea Temperature

The water temperature (15.8 °C) at Mahia Spit is quite cool. If the sun does come out as forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good sealed spring wetsuit. Some surfers would prefer to wear gloves and boots too. Effective windchill factor of (13.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit, neoprene gloves and boots.