Makorori North Surf Break

Lat Long: 38.65° S 178.13° E

Makorori North Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 pm 09 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Makorori North sea temperature is
13.3° C
0.9° 

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


Makorori North surf forecast from 9 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 15 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 11s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 16 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 12s period, SSW swell with 7,180 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 9 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 11s period with S swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Makorori North this week:

The surf forecast for Makorori North over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Makorori North in the next 16 days are 5.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 16) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 4.5m 10s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 15) at 6PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 9PM (Sun 9th Aug)3.5ft (1.1m) 11s
Best Surf 9PM (Sat 15th Aug)15ft (4.5m) 11s
Most Powerful 9AM (Sun 16th Aug)16ft (5.0m) 12s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what's coming our way for Makorori North. Gotta be straight with you – this forecast is a mixed bag and patience will be the name of the game. We've got a long, quiet start, a few promising windows, and then a massive pulse of swell that’s going to be way too much for this spot.

The water temp is sitting at 56°F, which is about average for this time of year, so the old steamer will be doing its job.

For the first few days, it’s pretty quiet. Sunday the 9th and Monday the 10th have some small, weak swell in the water but the conditions are a bit average and there’s just not enough to get excited about. It's a bit of a gap, really.

Tuesday the 11th sees a bump, with a 6ft SSW swell rolling in but the wind is a messy cross-shore, creating a chop that kills any chance of a clean wave. Not the one.

Now, Wednesday morning the 12th is where we get our first real glimpse of something good. The wind goes glassy with a light NNW breeze, and while the swell is only 4ft from the SSE, the combined energy is weak at 227, it'll be smooth as butter. It's a classic low-key glassy session for those who can work with small waves.

Thursday the 13th morning picks up a bit better. A 5ft ESE swell pushes the combined energy up to a moderate 405, and with a clean cross-off wind from the N, this is a solid, clean option for a morning surf. This is one of the better windows in the early part of the run.

Friday the 14th is a write-off with 25 mph winds blowing straight through. Stay at home.

Alright, here's the standout. Saturday the 15th. Saturday morning is looking like the best of the best. We’ve got a solid 7ft E swell with a period of 10 seconds, pushing combined energy to a strong 796. The wind is light from the N, keeping it clean. This is a good, punchy winter swell right in the optimal ENE direction for this break. Get on it early.

Sunday the 16th is where things go off the rails. An absolutely massive 16ft SSW groundswell shows up late, with a very long 12-second period and insane energy of 12200. That is way, *way* over the limit for Makorori North. This is expert-only territory, and honestly, with those conditions, this setup looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The same goes for Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th – giant, messy, and dangerous. Not for the average punter.

After that big pulse fades, we get a slight clean-up on Wednesday the 19th morning, with a 7ft S swell and a gentler cross-off wind, but it’s still a bit chunky.

Now, looking further out, we’ve got a promising long-range call for Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st. Thursday morning the 20th looks glassy and clean with a 4ft S swell and a very long 13-second period, which will give nice lines. Combined energy is a moderate 689, and it’ll be clean with a light W breeze. Friday morning the 21st also has a clean 5ft S swell. Mark those in your diary, but remember, it’s a week and a half away so keep an eye on it.

The last few days of the outlook drop back to tiny, junky conditions.

So, to sum it up: your best bets are Saturday morning the 15th for the best all-round swell and conditions, and the Thursday morning the 20th as a promising but less certain longer-range call. The in-between is mostly a write-off or, for a brief window, a glassy small-wave session.

Stay safe, and watch for the cleanup sets on that big weekend. This is Rusty, signing off.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon afternoon, min 9°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 24mm), heaviest during Fri night. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri afternoon, min 9°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NE on Fri morning, calm by Sat morning).

Sun
9
Monday
10
Tuesday
11
Wednesday
12
Thursday
13
Friday
14
Saturday
15
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
2
1
0
1
1
0
2
1
1
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
3
2
!
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.2
S
11
1.2
S
12
0.9
SSE
11
0.9
SSE
10
1.1
SSE
12
1.8
SSW
9
1.1
SSE
11
0.9
SSE
11
1.3
SSE
8
0.9
ESE
9
1.4
SE
9
1.4
ESE
8
1.1
SE
8
1
ESE
8
1.6
NE
7
1.5
ENE
7
2.1
ENE
8
2
E
10
1.7
ENE
10
5
SSW
12
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
326
390
187
173
344
477
331
198
216
134
294
254
151
136
233
243
621
783
598
6470
Wind (km/h)
20
N
15
NW
10
WNW
10
SE
15
SW
20
SW
20
SSW
10
W
5
NNW
20
NE
15
N
15
N
20
NE
25
NE
40
NE
30
NE
30
ENE
10
N
10
NNE
10
W
Wind State
cross-off
off
cross-off
on
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-off
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
2:36AM1.47m
3:13PM1.56m
3:37AM1.49m
4:13PM1.59m
4:38AM1.51m
5:12PM1.63m
5:37AM1.53m
6:08PM1.65m
6:34AM1.54m
7:03PM1.66m
7:29AM1.55m
7:55PM1.65m
Low Tide
8:28PM0.19m
8:52AM0.11m
9:29PM0.16m
9:52AM0.09m
10:31PM0.13m
10:52AM0.06m
11:31PM0.09m
11:51AM0.03m
00:29AM0.06m
12:48PM0.02m
1:24AM0.04m
1:42PM0.03m
2:17AM0.03m
light rain
rain showers
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
light rain
mod rain
light rain
heavy rain
part cloud
thunderstorm
cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:00
6:58
6:56
6:56
6:54
6:54
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:24
5:24
5:25
5:27
5:28
5:29
5:30
 mm
1
3
2
7
3
12
3
Temp °C
13
13
14
15
12
12
12
10
12
12
10
12
13
14
14
15
14
15
15
13
Feels °C
10
11
12
12
10
8
8
8
9
8
7
8
9
9
8
11
9
14
14
10
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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 Makorori North Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Makorori North provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Makorori North can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Makorori North 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 (Makorori North) 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 Makorori North 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.

Are you planning a holiday in Gisborne and Mahia? If you are looking for accommodation near Makorori North, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Gisborne and Mahia, consider staying in Gisborne which is 13 km (8 miles) away.

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