Opunake Beach Surf Guide

Opunake Beach in Taranaki is an exposed beach break that has quite consistent surf. Spring and Summer provide the optimum conditions. Offshore winds are from the north northeast. Tends to receive a mix of groundswells and windswells and the ideal swell angle is from the southwest. A choice of left and right reefs. Good surf at all stages of the tide. Rarely crowded here. Take care of rocks in the line up.

Opunake Beach Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach4fairly consistent
16.8°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Opunake Beach:

The best conditions reported for surf at Opunake Beach occur when a Southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the North-northeast.

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

aprilBest Season: autumn
The best time of year for surfing Opunake Beach with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Autumn  and most often the month of April. Clean surfable waves are typically found 26% of the time in April while 60% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 14% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
26%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
60%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
14%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Opunake Beach Location Map

Interactive Opunake Beach 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 Opunake Beach is New Plymouth Airport (NPL) in New Zealand, 58 km (36 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Opunake Beach is Wanganui Airport (WAG), also in New Zealand, 114 km (71 miles) away.

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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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Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Opunake Beach Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Thursday, 7 May 2026, 04:32 Local Time
Thursday 07
3AM6AM9AM12PM
Wave (m)
0.6
WSW
0.6
WSW
0.6
SW
0.6
SW
Period (s) 15 15 15 14
Wind (km/h)
25
25
25
35
Wind State off off off off

Swell History at Opunake Beach

Surf stats for Opunake Beach, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Wind History at Opunake Beach

Wind stats for Opunake Beach, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.


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