Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree Surf Break

Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree Surf Guide

Lat Long: 37.62° S 176.44° E

Issued: 11 am 21 Jun 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree sea temperature is
16.1° C

Normal for this time of year

Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.

Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree Surf Guide

Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree in Bay of Plenty is an exposed beach break that has quite consistent surf and can work at any time of the year. Offshore winds are from the south southwest and there is no shelter here from cross shore breezes. Poor surf in light onshore winds Clean groundswells prevail and the optimum swell angle is from the east northeast. There is no beach break and there is also a left hand reef break. Best around high tide. Rarely crowded here. Sharks may be a hazard at this break.

Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach4fairly consistent
16.1°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree:

The best conditions reported for surf at Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree occur when a East-northeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the South-southwest.

What's the best time of year to surf Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree (for consistent clean waves)?

februaryBest Season: autumn
The best time of year for surfing Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Autumn  and most often the month of February. Clean surfable waves are typically found 27% of the time in February while 52% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 21% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
27%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
52%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
21%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree Location Map

Interactive Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree 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 Motiti Island - Swannis is Tauranga Airport (TRG) in New Zealand, 22 km (14 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Motiti Island - Swannis is Whakatane Airport (WHK), also in New Zealand, 53 km (33 miles) away.

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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
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  • Ocean Swells (m)
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Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Sunday, 21 June 2026, 16:49 Local Time
Sunday 21Mon
3PM6PM9PM0AM
Wave (m)
0.9
NNW
0.9
NNW
0.7
NNW
0.4
NE
Period (s) 5 5 6 8
Wind (km/h)
20
15
15
15
Wind State cross cross-
off		 cross-
off		 cross-
off

Tides at Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree

Current tide and informaton
For Motiti Island - Ernies, 3 km from Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree.
Next High Water: 12:07am | 1.83m
Tidal range Clock
Next Low Water: 05:51pm | 0.18m
IS AT (local time)

Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree Sea Temperature

The Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree water temperature is rather cool (16.1 °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.
Current Temp*: 16.1°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite
water-temp
New Zealand Sea TemperatureView Sea Temp Map

Swell History at Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree

Surf stats for Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree Location Map
Average Swell
View Swell Statistics

Wind History at Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree

Wind stats for Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.

Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree Location Map
Average Wind
View Wind Statistics

Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree 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 1 vote.
  • Overall:4.0
  • Quality on a good day:4.0
  • Consistency of Surf:3.0
  • Difficulty Level:4.0
  • Crowds:4.0
  • ...

See all 18 ratings

Review
Impartial reviews submitted by Surf-Forecast users.
Buzz from New Zealand
“The name of this break is Kaiwakawaka reef, which translates to "eats boats" It has been surfed by local maori for many years and is a secret spot. please delete all motiti island spots or at least change it to its real name.”

Other Nearby Breaks Closest To:

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Wave Buoys Nearest To Motiti Island - Kaiwakawaka ree:

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