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Motunau Beach Surf Forecast
/ Canterbury (28 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Motunau Beach surfForecast / Canterbury / New Zealand
12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 6 pm Thursday 05 Mar 2026 NZDTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Motunau Beach surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Motunau Beach sea temperature is
15.6° C
(Which is slightly warmer than usual)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Motunau Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Motunau Beach over the next 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Mar 06) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 16s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Motunau Beach in the next 12 days are 1.6m 7s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Mar 11) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.2m 8s period and expected on Thursday (Mar 12) at 1AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Fri 6th Mar) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Fri 6th Mar) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Wed 11th Mar) | 5ft (1.6m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Motunau Beach over the next 12 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range Forecast Mostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Fri afternoon, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 3-6 Weather Summary Light rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 21°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Mon morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Sun night, calm by Mon afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Thu 05 | Friday 06 | Saturday 07 | Sunday 08 | Monday 09 | Tuesday 10 | Wednesday 11 | |||||||||||||||||
| PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |||
Rating (10 max) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||||
| Wave Height (m) & direction (?) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Period(s) (?) | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | ||
Wave (?)Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ (?) | 348 | 177 | 96 | 116 | 60 | 41 | 95 | 34 | 25 | 75 | 27 | 26 | 39 | 53 | 47 | 46 | 39 | 121 | 204 | 181 | 135 | ||
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wind State (?) onshore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore offshore glassy | cross- off | cross | cross- off | glass | cross- off | glass | cross- off | glass | glass | off | cross- on | on | on | off | cross- off | cross- off | off | off | cross- off | off | off | ||
High Tide / height (m) | 7:34AM 1.75 | 7:59PM 1.71 | 8:22AM 1.69 | 8:49PM 1.68 | 9:12AM 1.63 | 9:39PM 1.64 | 10:02AM 1.57 | 10:30PM 1.61 | 10:53AM 1.53 | 11:21PM 1.59 | 11:44AM 1.50 | 12:12AM 1.58 | 12:34PM 1.48 | ||||||||||
Low Tide / height (m) | 1:26AM 0.17 | 1:53PM 0.19 | 2:16AM 0.23 | 2:40PM 0.24 | 3:06AM 0.29 | 3:27PM 0.30 | 3:56AM 0.35 | 4:15PM 0.35 | 4:46AM 0.39 | 5:02PM 0.39 | 5:35AM 0.43 | 5:50PM 0.42 | 6:24AM 0.45 | ||||||||||
Thu 05 | Friday 06 | Saturday 07 | Sunday 08 | Monday 09 | Tuesday 10 | Wednesday 11 | |||||||||||||||||
| Sunrise | - | - | 7:11 | - | - | 7:13 | - | - | 7:13 | - | - | 7:15 | - | - | 7:16 | - | - | 7:18 | - | - | 7:18 | ||
| Sunset | 8:07 | - | - | 8:05 | - | - | 8:02 | - | - | 8:01 | - | - | 8:00 | - | - | 7:58 | - | - | 7:57 | - | - | ||
 |  | | | | | | | | |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | |||
Rain (mm) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Temp. °C | 18 | 17 | 22 | 23 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 21 | 21 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 21 | ||
| Feels °C (?) | 17 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 22 | 21 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 18 | ||
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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 Motunau Beach 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 Motunau Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Motunau Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 12 days. A general guide to surfing at Motunau Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Motunau Beach 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 (Motunau Beach) 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 Motunau Beach 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 Canterbury? If you are looking for accommodation near Motunau Beach, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Canterbury, consider staying in Christchurch which is 64 km (40 miles) away.
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