Punakaiki Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(West Coast South Island, New Zealand)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Punakaiki Surf Guide

Punakaiki on the West Coast is an exposed beach break that has quite consistent surf and can work at any time of the year. Ideal winds are from the east northeast. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the ideal swell angle is from the southwest. Waves at the beach break both left and right. Best around mid tide. It very rarely gets crowded here. Dangerous rips are a hazard of surfing here.

Punakaiki Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach	5	fairly consistent	15.7°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Punakaiki:

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

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

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

marchBest Season: autumn

The best time of year for surfing Punakaiki with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Autumn and most often the month of March. Clean surfable waves are typically found 43% of the time in March while 46% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 11% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

43%

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

blown out

46%

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

too small

11%

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

Explore Punakaiki Location Map

Interactive Punakaiki 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 Punakaiki is Westport Airport (WSZ) in New Zealand, 47 km (29 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Punakaiki is Hokitika Airport (HKK), also in New Zealand, 72 km (45 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.

Punakaiki Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Thursday, 7 May 2026, 08:35 Local Time

m, °C	Thursday 07
ft, °F	9AM	12PM	3PM	6PM
Wave (m)	WSW	WSW	WSW	NW
Period (s)	14	14	14	9
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- off	cross- off	cross- off	cross

What does Punakaiki look like?

Latest photos from Punakaiki. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Jesus_Retuned Credit: Jesus_Retuned Credit: Michelle Credit: Mick Goman Credit: Rob Davies

Tides at Punakaiki

Current tide and informaton

For Punakaiki, 0 km from Punakaiki.

Next High Water: 02:13pm | 2.24m

Next Low Water: 08:23pm | 0.75m

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

Punakaiki Sea Temperature

The Punakaiki water temperature is rather cool (15.7 °C) and the air temperature will feel about the same. 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.