Snow-ForecastSnow-ForecastMountain-ForecastMountain-ForecastTide-ForecastTide-ForecastWeather-ForecastWeather-Forecast
Search by country, region, or break
Search by country, region, or break

Quick Links

Surf Forecasts:

Punakaiki surf break

Punakaiki surfForecast / West Coast South Island / New Zealand

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 12 pm Wednesday 14 Jan 2026 NZDT
Forecast update in hr  min  s Forecast update imminent
Punakaiki surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Punakaiki sea temperature is
18.3° C
 (Which is 1.1°C warmer than normal for this time of year)

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Punakaiki this week:

The surf forecast for Punakaiki over the next 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jan 14) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Punakaiki in the next 12 days are 0.9m 14s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jan 16) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 7s period and expected on Thursday (Jan 15) at 7AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10PM (Wed 14th Jan)3ft (0.9m) 10s
Best Surf10PM (Wed 14th Jan)3ft (0.9m) 10s
Most Powerful 7AM (Fri 16th Jan)3ft (0.9m) 14s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Punakaiki over the next 12 days.

Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent 
12 DaysHourly
Print Table

Short Range Forecast Heavy rain (total 27mm), heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Wednesday
14
Thursday
15
Friday
16
Saturday
17
Sunday
18
Monday
19
Tuesday
20
AMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNight
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
2
1
0
2
2
1
2
1
1
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
Swell
Height Map
See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
1
W
0.9
W
0.8
WSW
0.7
WSW
0.7
WSW
0.6
WSW
0.9
WSW
0.9
WSW
0.8
WSW
0.8
WSW
0.7
WSW
0.6
WSW
0.5
WSW
0.5
WSW
0.4
WSW
0.4
WSW
0.4
WSW
0.4
WSW
0.4
WSW
0.4
WSW
0.6
WSW
Period(s) (?)10109101114131312121111111112111111111413
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)183154118102123163317303208179128986970524848494164135
Wind
(km/h)
0
SE
0
NNW
5
ENE
10
ESE
15
SSW
10
SE
0
NW
5
SSW
10
E
10
ESE
15
N
15
ESE
5
E
15
W
15
ESE
0
N
10
WSW
10
ENE
5
W
10
WSW
5
SE
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
glassglassglasscross-
off		cross-
on		cross-
off		glasscross-
on		offcross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
on		cross-
off		glassonoffglassonglass
High Tide
/ height (m)
8:52PM
2.14
9:18AM
2.22
9:45PM
2.23
10:07AM
2.33
10:32PM
2.34
10:50AM
2.45
11:13PM
2.45
11:30AM
2.56
11:52PM
2.54
12:08PM
2.66
12:29AM
2.61
12:44PM
2.73
1:06AM
2.64
Low Tide
/ height (m)
2:38PM
0.83
3:03AM
0.81
3:33PM
0.75
3:54AM
0.73
4:21PM
0.64
4:40AM
0.62
5:04PM
0.51
5:21AM
0.51
5:44PM
0.40
5:59AM
0.41
6:22PM
0.30
6:35AM
0.33
6:59PM
0.23
Wednesday
14
Thursday
15
Friday
16
Saturday
17
Sunday
18
Monday
19
Tuesday
20
Sunrise6:13--6:15--6:16--6:18--6:18--6:20--6:20--
Sunset-9:10--9:10--9:09--9:09--9:08--9:07--9:07-
light rain
mod rain
light rain
cloud
light rain
heavy rain
cloud
light rain
rain showers
part cloud
rain showers
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
Rain (mm)
174-111-21-11---------
Temp. °C141416181916171616171716181816171815171715
Feels °C (?)131516181715171616161516151512141515151614
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder

Latest Updates

The World’s Most Inconsistent Waves
Ben Mondy

The World’s Most Inconsistent Waves

Huntington, Dribbleton, Virginia, Holland and the Superbank! We recently had a look at the world’s most consistent waves. This was based on the combination of swells and wind directed at 7,000 surf spots, as compiled from our data since 2006. Those stats, represented in easy-to-read graphics, are located under each wave’s spot guides, with historical swell and wind breakdowns available by month, season, and year. There is also an offshore filter, which shows how often the swells come with clean

Read more

Read more

Discover more articles and updates in the Greenroom.

submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Punakaiki:

join our community of surf reporters

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 Punakaiki 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.

View detailed surf forecast for Punakaiki at:
surf-forecast.com

Information about the Punakaiki Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Punakaiki provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 12 days. A general guide to surfing at Punakaiki can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Punakaiki 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 (Punakaiki) 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 Punakaiki 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.

Punakaiki is 186 km (116 miles) from the city of Nelson. If you plan a holiday in West Coast South Island, look for hotels and other accommodation in Nelson. Nelson has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest