Surf Forecasts:
Tawharanui surf forecast from 21 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 6s period, N swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 5s period, N swell with 99 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 6s period with N 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 Sunday (Aug 23) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Tawharanui in the next 16 days are 1.3m 5s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 6PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tawharanui over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll level with you—this stretch isn’t exactly firing. Tawharanui’s a beach and reef set-up that’s exposed to the swell, but over the next 16 days we’re staring down a pretty flat run. The water’s sitting at 57°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.
The first mention of anything surfable doesn’t show up until Saturday, 29 August, and even then it’s only small—3ft from the NNE. The wind’s cross-off from the WNW, keeping things clean, but the combined energy is weak (53). It’s surfable, but ordinary. Sunday the 30th afternoon sees a bit more hope with 2ft from the NE, cross-off wind, and energy bumping to 56, but it’s still nothing to write home about. After that, it’s back to poor conditions right through to the end of the forecast on 5 September.
There’s a stretch from Friday 21 August right through to Friday 28 August with zero quality surf—just small, weak, and messy. So you’re looking at over a week of nothing. Even when the swell tries to push a little on 28 August with 3ft to 4ft from the N, the wind is fresh cross-onshore, making it lumpy and poor. Not worth paddling out.
The only real standout is Saturday 29 August, but even then it’s a modest 3ft from the NNE, with a period of just 6 seconds—short period windswell, so it’ll be a bit fat and messy. The energy is weak (53), and the break is only fairly consistent, so it’s not a sure thing. Crowds are often here, so you might have company. If you’re desperate, that’s your window.
Otherwise, this is a blank run. Tawharanui’s usually not this quiet for long, but for now, the boards stay on the roof.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun afternoon, min 10°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Fri morning, fresh winds from the WNW by Sun afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Mon morning, min 11°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | 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 10 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | NE 14 | NE 14 | NNW 5 | NNW 6 | N 6 | NNW 5 | E 12 | E 12 | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | E 12 | N 3 | N 4 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 17 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 33 | 52 | 24 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 1:20PM2.25m | 1:35AM2.21m | 2:15PM2.16m | 2:28AM2.13m | 3:21PM2.13m | 3:28AM2.09m | 4:24PM2.16m | 4:29AM2.11m | 5:16PM2.23m | 5:24AM2.16m | 6:01PM2.33m | 6:12AM2.25m | 6:41PM2.42m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:47PM0.93m | 8:03AM0.90m | 8:42PM0.99m | 8:56AM0.96m | 9:38PM1.03m | 9:53AM0.98m | 10:35PM1.03m | 10:52AM0.96m | 11:29PM0.99m | 11:47AM0.89m | 00:18AM0.92m | 12:35PM0.80m | 1:01AM0.82m | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — |
 | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
Feels °C | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | E 8 | NE 14 | NE 13 | NE 13 | N 6 | NNW 5 | N 5 | — | NE 10 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 10 | NE 10 | — | NE 10 | NE 9 | NE 9 |
| kJ | 17 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 24 | 6 | 2 | — | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | — | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | N 16 | NE 14 | E 7 | E 13 | E 13 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 10 | N 12 | E 13 | E 12 | — | — | NE 10 | E 12 | — | N 12 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 5 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 4 | 3 | — | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | E 14 | — | NE 10 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | E 13 | — | — | — | N 10 | N 7 | E 10 | E 9 | E 10 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 2 | — | WSW 2 | WNW 3 | WNW 3 | WNW 3 | NNW 5 | NNW 6 | WSW 3 | SW 3 | SW 3 | SSW 3 | SW 2 | SW 2 | WSW 3 | — | — | WNW 2 | N 3 | N 3 | N 4 |
| kJ | 1 | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 33 | 52 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 5 | 10 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 22 | 59 | 59 | 66 | 279 | 359 | 372 | 38 | 189 | 202 | 202 | 202 | 202 | 202 | 202 | 202 | 279 | 102 | 64 | 64 | 64 |
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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