Paturau River Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Nelson – West Coast, New Zealand)

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- Hourly Forecast
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Spot Information

Paturau River Surf Guide

Paturau River in Nelson - West Coast is an exposed beach break that has consistent surf and can work at any time of the year. Works best in offshore winds from the southeast and there is no shelter here from cross shore breezes. Easily blown out by an onshore breeze Windswells and groundswells in equal measure and the best swell direction is from the west southwest. The beach breaks are all lefts as well as reef breaks offering better lefts than rights. and there is a left hand point break as well. Best around low tide. The location means that it never gets crowded. Take care of the strong rips here.

Paturau River Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach	3	consistent	16.3°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Paturau River:

The best conditions reported for surf at Paturau River occur when a West-southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Southeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

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

februaryBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Paturau River with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of February. Clean surfable waves are typically found 30% of the time in February while 62% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 8% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

30%

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

blown out

62%

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

too small

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

Explore Paturau River Location Map

Interactive Paturau River 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 Paturau River is Nelson Airport (NSN) in New Zealand, which is 98 km (61 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Paturau River is Westport Airport (WSZ), also in New Zealand, 146 km (91 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.

Paturau River Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Friday, 8 May 2026, 13:28 Local Time

m, °C	Friday 08
ft, °F	9AM	12PM	3PM	6PM
Wave (m)	NNW	N	N	N
Period (s)	8	8	9	10
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- on	cross- on	cross- on	cross- on

What does Paturau River look like?

Latest photos from Paturau River. 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 Paturau River

Current tide and informaton

For Whanganui Inlet, New Zealand, 9 km from Paturau River.

Next High Water: 01:55pm | 2.08m

Next Low Water: 08:03pm | 0.61m

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

Paturau River Sea Temperature

The water temperature at Paturau River is rather cool (16.3 °C) and the air temperature will feel similar. A good quality spring wetsuit with optional neoprene boots should suffice. No need for wetsuit gloves.

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

Current Temp*: 16.3°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

View Sea Temp Map

Swell History at Paturau River

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

Average Swell

View Swell Statistics

Wind History at Paturau River

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

Average Wind

View Wind Statistics

Paturau River Reviews:

Interactive Porthcawl Point location map. View nearby buoy information, live wind conditions and surrounding roads, paths and locations to help find new breaks. Click the buoys or wind icon to view more information.

Ratings

Based on 5 votes.

Overall:3.0
Quality on a good day:3.0
Consistency of Surf:2.6
Difficulty Level:2.6
Wind and Kite Surfing:4.0
Crowds:5.0
...

See all 18 ratings

Review

Impartial reviews submitted by Surf-Forecast users.

Mary Shaw from New Zealand

“What an amazing place. The wind was unbelievable, whipping up the water off the river and rising it to the top of the cliffs!! On a calm day, the place was just as awesome. :) :)”

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