Tawharanui Surf Break

Lat Long: 36.37° S 174.84° E

Tawharanui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 pm 16 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Tawharanui sea temperature is
14.8°C
0.1° 

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


Tawharanui surf forecast from 16 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 8s period, NNE swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 18 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 8s period, NNE swell with 449 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 18 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 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 Friday (Sep 18) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 8s 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 2.0m 8s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 20) at 6AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 3PM (Fri 18th Sep)4.5ft (1.3m) 8s
Best Surf 3PM (Fri 18th Sep)4.5ft (1.3m) 8s
Most Powerful 9AM (Fri 18th Sep)6.5ft (2.0m) 8s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with ya – this is a tough stretch for Tawharanui. We’re looking at a long, dry spell here. The first real chance of anything rideable doesn’t show up until the afternoon of Friday the 18th, and even then, it’s not a barnburner.

For days leading up to that, from Wednesday the 16th through Friday morning, it’s pretty much flat or blown out. Thursday the 17th is a write-off with a strong north cross-onshore wind and messy, choppy conditions. Friday morning the 18th has a bit of size, around 7ft, but the wind is still onshore and ugly.

Then on Friday afternoon, the 18th, things start to turn. The wind swings around to a light SSW offshore, cleaning it right up. We get a 4ft swell from the NNE with a period of 8 seconds, giving us moderate energy (249). The water temp is sitting at 59°, which is about average for this time of year. This is the standout window – the only time in the whole outlook where the conditions actually line up. It’s a beach and reef setup, and with the offshore wind, it’ll be clean. But keep in mind, the swell direction is NNE, not the preferred NE.

After that brief moment of hope, it goes quiet again. Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th are small and way too windy – those 28 mph SW offshores might look pretty, but they’ll make it impossible to paddle into those tiny 1ft waves. The rest of the week, from Monday the 21st all the way through to the end of the period, is a desert of flat, clean but tiny surf, with energy readings often dropping into single digits. There’s a tiny bump on Sunday the 27th with a 4ft NW swell and moderate energy (107), but the wind is cross-offshore and the conditions are just ordinary.

Honestly, if you’re a beginner, the Friday afternoon window with 4ft waves is about as big as you’ll want. For anyone else, that’s your one and only shot. The rest of this 16-day run is a real test of patience.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu morning, min 12°C on Thu night). Mainly strong winds.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue morning, min 11°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WSW on Sun morning, moderate winds from the WSW by Sun night).

Wed
16
Thursday
17
Friday
18
Saturday
19
Sunday
20
Monday
21
Tuesday
22
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
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)
0.1
NE
13
0.1
NE
12
0.8
NNW
4
1.2
N
5
1.4
N
6
2
NNE
8
1.3
NNE
8
0.4
NE
9
0.3
NNE
9
0.2
NNE
9
0.2
NNE
8
0.8
NNW
6
0.4
NW
6
0.2
NNW
7
0.1
E
10
0.1
N
10
0.1
N
10
0.7
SW
4
0.1
N
9
0.1
N
12
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
7
6
24
77
141
449
229
20
16
8
7
48
10
4
2
2
2
0
2
3
Wind (km/h)
15
W
10
NNW
20
NNW
25
N
30
NNE
20
N
15
SSW
40
SW
35
SW
30
WSW
30
W
45
WSW
45
SW
30
SW
25
SW
30
WSW
25
WSW
25
W
30
W
30
SW
Wind State
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-on
off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
off
off
off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
High Tide
10:43PM2.46m
11:12AM2.44m
11:25PM2.36m
11:54AM2.33m
00:08AM2.26m
12:39PM2.23m
00:54AM2.17m
1:31PM2.15m
1:44AM2.10m
2:33PM2.12m
2:41AM2.07m
3:38PM2.15m
Low Tide
4:42PM0.64m
5:03AM0.61m
5:27PM0.74m
5:45AM0.71m
6:16PM0.84m
6:31AM0.81m
7:09PM0.93m
7:20AM0.90m
8:04PM0.99m
8:15AM0.96m
9:00PM1.01m
9:14AM0.98m
9:57PM1.00m
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
light rain
part cloud
mod rain
clear
clear
part cloud
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
rain showers
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:18
6:16
6:15
6:13
6:11
6:09
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:10
6:12
6:13
6:14
6:15
6:15
6:15
 mm
4
6
1
1
1
Temp °C
15
13
16
16
15
13
13
13
15
15
14
12
13
12
14
15
14
17
16
13
Feels °C
11
10
11
11
11
10
10
5
8
9
8
3
3
4
8
9
9
12
11
5
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Tawharanui:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

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.

Nearest locationNearest