
Surf Forecasts:
Tawharanui surf forecast from 6 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 8 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s period, NNE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 7 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 8s period, NNE swell with 534 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 8 Jul, 12PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 8s period with NNE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Tawharanui this week:
The surf forecast for Tawharanui over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 08) at 12PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Tawharanui in the next 16 days are 2.0m 8s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 07) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 08) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12PM (Wed 8th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Wed 8th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Tue 7th Jul) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tawharanui over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's coming up for this stretch of coast.
So, to be straight with you, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim overall. There’s no real run of decent swell, and most of the time the wind is going to mess things up. We’re looking at a long stretch of flat or poor conditions before anything gets interesting.
Tawharanui is a beach and reef setup that’s fairly consistent, so it does pick up a bit of energy, but the quality just isn't there. The first real action we see is a pulse of swell from the north averaging 6 ft to 6 ft hitting on Monday the 6th and Tuesday the 7th. Problem is, that’s coming with strong northerly winds onshore—fresh breeze to moderate breeze—making for lumpy, poor surf. The water temp is sitting around 60°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.
We then hit a major dry spell. There’s basically nothing worth paddling out for from Wednesday the 8th all the way through to Friday the 17th. The swell drops off to tiny, weak waves below 3 ft, and despite some clean-looking winds (like offshore from the southwest on Wednesday the 8th afternoon, or light breezes on the weekend), the combined swell energy is pathetic, barely registering in the low two-digit range. It’s just not happening.
Now, on Friday the 17th, we see a jump back up to 5 ft from the NNW, but again, the period is short (6 seconds), and the wind is howling from the south at 25 mph in the afternoon. Even though it’s cross-offshore and clean, that period is too short for any real push—just lumpy, messy waves. That continues into Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th, with a bit more size on Sunday (5 ft to 5 ft from the NE) but moderate cross-shore winds making it choppy. The combined energy on Sunday morning is solid at 489, so there’s power, but the wind kills the quality.
The real standout, and honestly the only window I’d get excited about, is on Monday the 21st of July. Tuesday morning brings a clean 3 ft NE swell with a 10-second period and a gentle offshore breeze from the SSW. The combined energy jumps to 340, so there’s good push. Then Tuesday afternoon is the pick: a north swell building to 7 ft, 7-second period, and a light cross-offshore breeze from the SSE. The energy spikes to 523. That’s a solid, punchy wave with clean conditions. Tawharanui handles north swell okay, and with light wind, it should be peeling nicely. Expect crowds to be likely though—it’s a spot that gets busy when it’s good. This one is for experienced surfers though; 7 ft with that period will have some grunt.
So, in short: the next week and a half is pretty much a write-off. Keep your eyes on that Tuesday the 21st for the best chance of a proper session.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 30mm), heaviest during Tue morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Wed afternoon, min 12°C on Tue night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Fri afternoon, min 9°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Fri morning, calm by Sat night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Mon 13 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | N 8 | N 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
205 | 337 | 428 | 455 | 104 | 58 | 73 | 49 | 48 | 50 | 71 | 48 | 30 | 51 | 51 | 52 | 29 | 28 | 15 | 16 | 17 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | glassy | on |
High Tide | 11:37PM2.43m | 11:58AM2.32m | 00:22AM2.41m | 12:45PM2.30m | 1:10AM2.38m | 1:38PM2.29m | 2:05AM2.36m | 2:41PM2.31m | 3:08AM2.36m | 3:53PM2.36m | 4:14AM2.39m | 5:01PM2.47m | 5:20AM2.46m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:08AM0.72m | 6:16PM0.80m | 6:56AM0.71m | 7:12PM0.84m | 7:48AM0.69m | 8:13PM0.84m | 8:43AM0.65m | 9:15PM0.81m | 9:41AM0.60m | 10:18PM0.75m | 10:41AM0.54m | 11:22PM0.67m | 11:44AM0.46m | ||||||||
— | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | |
— | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | |
mm | 6 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
Feels °C | 8 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | N 8 | E 10 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | E 7 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 9 |
31 | 337 | 30 | 455 | 104 | 48 | 73 | 49 | 48 | 50 | 71 | 48 | 30 | 51 | 51 | 52 | 29 | 28 | 15 | 16 | 17 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 10 | — | E 10 | E 6 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 9 | NE 8 | NE 8 | N 14 | N 13 | N 13 | N 12 | S 3 | N 12 | N 11 | N 11 | NE 4 | NE 4 | NE 4 |
— | 30 | — | 30 | 24 | 44 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | N 12 | E 11 | NNE 8 | — | — | N 7 | — | — | — | — | — | N 12 | — | — | — | N 11 | N 12 | NE 12 |
— | — | — | 11 | 37 | 58 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | NNE 8 | N 8 | E 10 | S 5 | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | SSE 2 | S 4 | S 5 | S 5 | S 4 | SSE 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
205 | 319 | 428 | 70 | 44 | 28 | 35 | 9 | 1 | 30 | 83 | 41 | 16 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 138 | 67 | 8 | 68 | 11 | 1 | 13 | 22 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 115 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 22 | 38 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Northland | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Tawharanui Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Tawharanui provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Tawharanui can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Tawharanui 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 (Tawharanui) 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 Tawharanui 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.
Tawharanui is 48 km (30 miles) from the city of Northshore. If you plan a holiday in Northland, look for hotels and other accommodation in Northshore. Northshore has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











