Surf Forecasts:
Tawharanui surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 5s period, NW swell with 66 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Tawharanui this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Tawharanui in the next 16 days are 1.1m 5s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 9AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tawharanui over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Tawharanui's got lined up for us.
Honestly, it's a bit of a slow burn for the next week and a half. We've got a long stretch of tiny, poor surf from now right through until the end of August. Most days you're looking at waves from 0.3ft to 2ft, mostly from the ESE or NE, with energy levels barely ticking over. The wind is often okay, sometimes even light or glassy, but there's just no power in the water. It's a real waiting game. You won't really find a decent paddle until we get into the first week of September.
Then, around Saturday the 29th of August, things start to look a bit more interesting. The swell builds to a clean 4ft from the NNE on the Saturday morning (combined energy of 215), and the wind is a light cross-off from the SSW. That's the standout session of the whole outlook. It's not huge, but for Tawharanui after a long flat spell, that's going to feel pretty good. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing to write home about.
Sunday the 30th drops back a touch, and we get a run of smaller, cleaner days with offshore winds through to Tuesday the 1st of September. Swell hangs around 1ft to 2ft from the NE, and the conditions are clean with gentle to moderate offshore breezes. The energy picks up a little on Tuesday afternoon (115), making it a worthwhile session for a longboard.
Remember, the long period groundswell we see in the first week is tiny, but by the 29th the period drops to 8 seconds, which is better for the beach and reef setup here. All in all, mark Saturday the 29th in your calendar. That's your best bet.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Fri afternoon, min 9°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Wed morning, calm by Thu afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon afternoon, min 12°C on Sat morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Sun morning, light winds from the WSW by Mon morning). | ||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | ||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | N 10 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | NE 14 | N 14 | NW 5 | NNW 6 | NNW 7 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 26 | 26 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 66 | 26 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:18PM2.56m | 11:48AM2.47m | 00:02AM2.44m | 12:32PM2.36m | 00:47AM2.32m | 1:20PM2.25m | 1:35AM2.21m | 2:15PM2.16m | 2:28AM2.13m | 3:21PM2.13m | 3:28AM2.09m | 4:24PM2.16m | |||||||
Low Tide | 5:42AM0.59m | 6:02PM0.73m | 6:26AM0.70m | 6:53PM0.84m | 7:13AM0.81m | 7:47PM0.93m | 8:03AM0.90m | 8:42PM0.99m | 8:56AM0.96m | 9:38PM1.03m | 9:53AM0.98m | 10:35PM1.03m | |||||||
 |  | | | | | |  | |  | | | | |  | | | | | |
 | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 13 |
Feels °C | 5 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | N 10 | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | N 14 | NE 13 | NNW 6 | NNW 7 | N 5 | N 4 | — |
| kJ | 13 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 26 | 26 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 26 | 9 | 2 | 2 | — |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 10 | NE 10 | SE 5 | E 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | N 16 | NE 14 | E 8 | E 13 | NE 13 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 10 |
| kJ | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 10 | — | E 12 | E 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 14 | E 10 | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 |
| kJ | 2 | — | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | S 5 | S 4 | — | — | — | — | SSW 2 | — | — | — | NNW 3 | NNW 3 | NW 5 | W 3 | W 3 | WSW 3 | — | — |
| kJ | 24 | 102 | 9 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | 66 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 61 | 216 | 44 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 59 | 22 | 66 | 359 | 359 | 370 | 66 | 202 | 202 | 202 | 202 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Northland | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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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 Tawharanui 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.
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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