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Surf Forecasts:

Punakaiki surf break

Punakaiki surfForecast / West Coast South Island / New Zealand

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 6 pm Saturday 22 Nov 2025 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
15.4° C
 (Which is slightly warmer than usual)

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 Saturday (Nov 22) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Punakaiki in the next 12 days are 1.6m 12s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Nov 30) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.5m 8s period and expected on Thursday (Nov 27) at 1PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)10PM (Sat 22nd Nov)4.5ft (1.3m) 14s
Best Surf10PM (Sat 22nd Nov)4.5ft (1.3m) 14s
Most Powerful 1AM (Sun 30th Nov)5ft (1.6m) 12s

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 Mostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue morning, min 11°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Heavy rain (total 54mm), heaviest during Tue night. Very mild (max 18°C on Tue afternoon, min 15°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNE on Wed morning, calm by Thu night).

Sat
22
Sunday
23
Monday
24
Tuesday
25
Wednesday
26
Thursday
27
Friday
28
PMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAM
Rating
(10 max)
3
1
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
0
1
0
0
2
0
1
2
1
1
3
2
Swell
Height Map
See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
1.3
WSW
1.2
WSW
1.3
WSW
1.4
WSW
0.9
WSW
0.8
WSW
0.7
WSW
1
WSW
0.9
WSW
0.7
WSW
0.5
WSW
0.7
WNW
0.3
WSW
1.5
WNW
1.2
WNW
2.3
NW
2.1
NW
1.6
NW
1.5
NW
1.6
W
1.7
W
Period(s) (?)14141313121212121111119119888881010
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)714588590604263186145293176126657825339202653596375306502625
Wind
(km/h)
5
WNW
10
SSW
15
SW
20
SW
20
SSW
10
SW
10
WSW
5
ESE
5
S
10
NNW
15
ENE
35
NNE
25
N
15
NE
25
N
25
N
10
NNW
10
SW
5
WSW
10
ESE
10
S
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
glasscross-
on		ononcross-
on		cross-
on		onglassglasscrossoffcross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
off		crossononcross-
off		cross
High Tide
/ height (m)
1:00AM
2.51
1:16PM
2.54
1:39AM
2.45
1:55PM
2.47
2:19AM
2.37
2:37PM
2.40
3:04AM
2.29
3:23PM
2.34
3:54AM
2.23
4:16PM
2.30
4:52AM
2.20
5:15PM
2.30
5:54AM
2.22
Low Tide
/ height (m)
7:09AM
0.49
7:31PM
0.47
7:47AM
0.55
8:12PM
0.53
8:28AM
0.62
8:55PM
0.59
9:13AM
0.68
9:44PM
0.63
10:04AM
0.72
10:38PM
0.64
11:01AM
0.73
11:38PM
0.61
12:02PM
0.69
Sat
22
Sunday
23
Monday
24
Tuesday
25
Wednesday
26
Thursday
27
Friday
28
Sunrise--5:58--5:56--5:56--5:56--5:54--5:54--5:54
Sunset8:42--8:43--8:45--8:45--8:46--8:47--8:49--
cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
cloud
heavy rain
mod rain
rain showers
mod rain
mod rain
mod rain
rain showers
clear
clear
rain showers
heavy rain
Rain (mm)
----------128391093--116
Temp. °C151415151215151317181617171717171717171514
Feels °C (?)16141110812131215161412141614141715161513
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Latest Updates

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Quiksilver Teams Up With PrimaLoft® For World’s First Thermal Layering System for a Wetsuit.

Feel that? If you are in the northern hemisphere, you will have had that first bite of winter. The lick of a frost, the chill of a cold offshore breeze and the sound of winter swells pounding the shores. If you are near the mountains, your favourite jackets, gloves, and footwear might get dusted off and prepped for battle. And in that beautiful Venn diagram, you will find PrimaLoft. They have spent over 40 years developing innovative insulations that have powered your warmest winter gear. In t

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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.

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