Tawharanui Surf Break

Lat Long: 36.37° S 174.84° E

Tawharanui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 am 29 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Tawharanui sea temperature is
13.8°C
0.7° 

Tawharanui surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Tawharanui surf forecast from 29 Aug 2026:

  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 8s period, N swell with 518 kJ wave energy.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Tawharanui this week:

The most powerful waves expected at Tawharanui in the next 16 days are 2.1m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 30) at 3AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)--
Best Surf--
Most Powerful 6PM (Sat 29th Aug)7ft (2.1m) 8s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tawharanui over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Tawharanui over the next couple weeks. Straight up, I gotta be honest with you – it’s a tough stretch. There’s a real gap from Sunday the 31st of August all the way through to the 6th of September where the swell just drops away to tiny, messy stuff. Not worth paddling out for unless you’re after a flat-water paddle. The main event, if you can call it that, happens this Saturday the 29th of August, and then again around the 6th of September.

Your best bet, and really the only one that gets me excited, is Saturday morning. We’ve got a north swell coming in at 5ft with a period of 7 seconds, creating a weak to moderate combined energy of 236. The water temp is sitting at 57° which is about average for this time of year. The real winner here is the wind – it’s glassy. Dead calm. You’ll get clean, smooth waves at Tawharanui. It’s a beach and reef setup, exposed to the north, so this northwest swell will wrap in alright. For a beginner spot, 5ft is starting to push the limit a bit, so keep that in mind, but the glassy conditions will make it manageable. It can get crowded here often, so get in early.

Saturday afternoon the rain moves in heavy and the wind shifts cross-offshore, but the swell holds. It’s still surfable, but not as clean.

Now for the second week. Look at Thursday the 10th of September morning. After a long flat spell, we get a pulse from the NNW at 4ft with a short 5-second period. The energy is weak at 83, but the wind is offshore from the southwest, so it’ll be clean. It’s not a standout, just the best of a quiet bunch. And then Thursday afternoon sees the swell bump to 4ft with a 6-second period and moderate energy of 136, still with offshore wind. Again, clean but small. The 10th is your last real window before it fades again.

After that, from the 11th onward, it’s all tiny, weak leftovers with periods over 12 seconds – those long-period groundswells that tend to close out on beach breaks like Tawharanui. Not worth chasing.

So, to sum it up: Saturday morning 29th August is the standout. Get on it. The rest is a waiting game with a couple of clean but ordinary days around the 10th of September. Stay keen.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 62mm), heaviest during Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun morning, min 11°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat morning, strong winds from the SW by Sun afternoon).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Thu afternoon, min 12°C on Tue afternoon). Mainly fresh winds.

Saturday
29
Sunday
30
Monday
31
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
Friday
4
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.6
N
7
1.7
N
8
1.7
NNE
8
1.1
NNE
8
0.9
NNE
8
0.7
NE
9
0.6
NNE
9
0.5
NE
9
0.5
NE
10
0.5
NE
9
0.4
NE
9
0.3
NE
9
0.3
NE
9
0.3
NE
8
0.3
NE
8
0.6
NW
4
0.2
ENE
10
0.7
NNW
4
0.9
NNW
6
0.7
N
6
0.4
NNW
6
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
269
329
422
157
108
81
54
39
44
43
30
13
12
11
11
11
9
13
55
35
11
Wind (km/h)
5
NNW
15
SE
40
SSW
35
SW
40
SW
35
WSW
25
SW
30
WSW
35
W
35
WSW
35
SW
20
SW
20
WSW
25
WSW
20
WNW
15
NW
20
WNW
20
WNW
25
WNW
25
W
10
WSW
Wind State
glassy
cross
off
off
off
off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
8:01PM2.56m
8:21AM2.50m
8:42PM2.60m
9:03AM2.54m
9:24PM2.61m
9:46AM2.55m
10:07PM2.59m
10:30AM2.54m
10:53PM2.55m
11:17AM2.51m
11:41PM2.49m
12:07PM2.47m
00:34AM2.43m
Low Tide
1:59PM0.63m
2:24AM0.64m
2:38PM0.58m
3:04AM0.58m
3:18PM0.56m
3:46AM0.54m
3:59PM0.58m
4:29AM0.53m
4:44PM0.63m
5:15AM0.55m
5:36PM0.69m
6:05AM0.58m
6:35PM0.76m
heavy rain
heavy rain
heavy rain
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
thunderstorm
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:45
6:43
6:43
6:41
6:39
6:37
6:37
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:58
5:58
5:59
6:00
6:00
6:00
6:01
 mm
11
37
14
1
Temp °C
14
14
13
15
15
13
15
14
13
14
14
12
14
15
13
16
17
14
18
17
13
Feels °C
14
13
8
8
7
6
9
7
7
7
7
6
9
10
9
12
13
11
14
14
11
  • 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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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.

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