Makorori North Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve been looking over the charts for our local break. The next 16 days are a mixed bag, with a real standout tucked away in early September, but there’s a long stretch of small, ordinary surf to work through first.

We’re starting with Makorori North (beach and reef). Water temp is 56°, which is about 1° cooler than usual for this time of year—pretty standard. Friday morning, 21 August, is the best of the early days: a solid 5 ft S swell, with a period of 13 seconds, and a light NW breeze keeping it cross-off and clean. The combined energy is 1187 (moderate), and the waves are looking very good. But after that, things drop off. Friday afternoon turns marginal, and Saturday morning drops to 4 ft. Saturday arvo sees a glassy 4 ft S swell, but it’s small. Sunday through to Tuesday offer only tiny, inconsistent waves—2 ft to 5 ft—with moderate energy and ordinary conditions. There’s a gap of several days where the surf is barely worth a paddle.

Then the pulse fades more. Wednesday 26 August onwards has small S swells around 2 ft to 3 ft, with longer periods of 15 to 17 seconds—that’s groundswell, but it’s too small to make much of. The winds are mostly offshore or cross-off, so the water will be clean, but the energy is low (263 to 522). This continues through to the end of August, with swells barely 3 ft and ordinary conditions. Sunday 30 August is a write-off—poor surf, under 3 ft.

Now, here’s the real deal. Look ahead to Thursday 3 September: a massive 21 ft SSW swell hits, but the wind is a strong 40 km/h cross-on, and the combined energy is a whopping 22420 (very strong). That’s too big for this break—it’s only for experts, and even then, the wind is messy. The real standout comes on Friday 4 September. Early morning, we’ve got a 10 ft S swell with a 14-second period, and the wind is glassy from the WNW at just 5 km/h. Combined energy is 3709 (strong), and the conditions are excellent for experienced surfers. This is the one to circle—clean, powerful, and packing a punch. The afternoon drops to 8 ft with a light cross-onshore, still good but less ideal. Saturday 5 September morning sees a cleaner 5 ft S swell with a cross-off breeze, offering a solid finisher.

So, if you’re hanging for a wave, the early part is lean, but 4 September morning is the standout—big, clean, and full of energy. Just remember, it’s a long-range call, so keep an eye on the forecasts.

Rusty.

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