Rapahoe/Chimney Pots Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(West Coast South Island, New Zealand)

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

Rapahoe/Chimney Pots Surf Guide

Rapahoe on the West Coast is an exposed beach break that has fairly consistent surf and can work at any time of the year. Works best in offshore winds from the southeast. Tends to receive a mix of groundswells and windswells and the best swell direction is from the west southwest. Waves at the beach are both lefts and rights. The quality of the surf isn't affected by the tide. Even when there are waves, it's not likley to be crowded. Watch out for dangerous rips.

Rapahoe/Chimney Pots Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach	3	fairly consistent	15.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Rapahoe/Chimney Pots:

The best conditions reported for surf at Rapahoe/Chimney Pots occur when a West swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the East-southeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Rapahoe/Chimney Pots (for consistent clean waves)?

julyBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Rapahoe/Chimney Pots with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of July. Clean surfable waves are typically found 54% of the time in July while 33% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 13% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

54%

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

blown out

33%

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

too small

13%

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

Explore Rapahoe/Chimney Pots Location Map

Interactive Rapahoe/Chimney Pots 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 Rapahoe is Hokitika Airport (HKK) in New Zealand, 42 km (26 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Rapahoe is Westport Airport (WSZ), also in New Zealand, 77 km (48 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.

Rapahoe/Chimney Pots Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 09:04 Local Time

m, °C	Tuesday 05
ft, °F	9AM	12PM	3PM	6PM
Wave (m)	WSW	WSW	WSW	WSW
Period (s)	14	14	14	13
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	off	glass	cross- on	glass

What does Rapahoe/Chimney Pots look like?

Latest photos from Rapahoe/Chimney Pots. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: rob

Tides at Rapahoe/Chimney Pots

Current tide and informaton

For Nine Mile, 4 km from Rapahoe/Chimney Pots.

Next High Water: 12:50pm | 2.44m

Next Low Water: 07:00pm | 0.56m

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

Rapahoe/Chimney Pots Sea Temperature

The water temperature (15.2 °C) at Rapahoe/Chimney Pots is quite cool. If the sun does come out as forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good sealed spring wetsuit. Some surfers would prefer to wear gloves and boots too. Effective windchill factor of (10.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

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