Tawharanui Surf Break

Tawharanui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Lat Long: 36.37° S 174.84° E

Issued: 5 pm 04 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Tawharanui sea temperature is
15.6° C

Normal for this time of year

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


Tawharanui surf forecast from 4 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Sunday 5 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 6s period, N swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Tuesday 7 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, NNE swell with 1,323 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 5 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 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 (Jul 05) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 1.4m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m and 11s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Tawharanui in the next 16 days are 3.0m 9s 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 2.0m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 08) at 3AM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 6AM (Sun 5th Jul)5.5ft (1.7m) 6s
Best Surf 6AM (Sun 5th Jul)5.5ft (1.7m) 6s
Most Powerful 6PM (Tue 7th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 9s

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


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve checked the charts, and I’m not gonna sugarcoat it—Tawharanui is looking pretty average for the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a long stretch of ordinary-to-poor conditions, and the swell just doesn’t want to line up with the wind. There’s no real stand-out, but we’ll pick the best of what’s on offer.

The pattern starts out rough. Saturday the 4th of July is a write-off—gusty onshore winds (16 mph) and messy surf. Sunday the 5th shows a glimmer with a light WNW cross-offshore breeze on the morning, but the swell is tiny at 2 ft, period a modest 11 seconds, and the combined energy is weak (175). Still, it’s clean enough for a beginner log session—the only time you’ll catch me being slightly optimistic.

Then we hit a massive gap. From Sunday afternoon right through to Wednesday the 8th, there’s nothing but poor conditions. Mixed winds, short-period slop, and even a 7 ft windswell on Tuesday the 7th with 515 energy, but it’s blown out by 19 mph onshore winds. That’s a skip.

Wednesday the 8th morning finally brings some proper offshore wind from the SSW (19 mph). The swell is 3 ft from the north, period 8 seconds, combined energy 207—moderate. It’s clean and fresh, but small and short-period, maybe a few fun runners. That’s your best bet this week. Afternoon cleans up with 3 ft from the east, also offshore but lighter.

After that, it’s back to tiny dribble. From the 9th through the 14th, swell drops below 2 ft, energy readings sink into the low double digits (32 to 52). It’s clean on some mornings, but you’d be chasing whitewash on a foil. Not worth paddling out.

Then on Thursday the 16th of July, we get a serious swell spike: 7 ft from the north, period only 7 seconds, combined energy 432. But it’s accompanied by onshore winds (28-31 mph) turning into a near gale. That’s dangerous and ugly—a beach-and-reef setup like Tawharanui will be a washing machine. Certainly not for beginners, and honestly, not much fun for anyone with a paddle. It’s looking more like a kite day if you’ve got the gear.

The tail end of the period, the 18th and 19th of July, flattens right out again: 2 ft to 2 ft with very weak energy (24-61). The 18th morning has a light WSW cross-offshore breeze and clean conditions, but you’d need a longboard and low expectations.

Tawharanui is a fairly consistent break, so this blank run is a bit of a letdown—it tends not to stay this poor for long. Forecasts can change. For now, Wednesday morning the 8th is the only real window, and even then, it’s a marginal one.

Stay patient, folks. Rusty out.

Short Range Forecast

Heavy rain (total 31mm), heaviest during Sun night. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Sun night). Mainly strong winds.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 26mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue afternoon, min 11°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the E on Tue afternoon, light winds from the WSW by Thu afternoon).

Sat
4
Sunday
5
Monday
6
Tuesday
7
Wednesday
8
Thursday
9
Friday
10
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.8
E
12
1.8
N
6
1.1
N
6
0.6
E
10
2.1
N
6
1.6
NNW
7
1.1
N
7
1.5
N
6
2.4
NNE
8
3
NNE
9
1.7
N
9
0.9
NNE
8
0.8
E
10
0.7
E
10
0.6
E
10
0.5
E
10
0.5
E
10
0.5
E
10
0.7
E
10
0.5
E
9
0.4
ESE
9
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
180
216
95
72
333
214
107
184
690
1232
473
115
122
96
66
50
50
46
88
44
29
Wind (km/h)
30
N
35
N
10
W
10
NNW
45
N
20
NNW
20
NNW
20
N
35
NE
40
E
25
E
25
SSW
25
SW
30
WSW
20
WSW
20
WSW
20
SSW
20
SSW
30
SSW
30
SSW
15
SSW
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross-on
off
off
off
off
off
cross-off
off
off
off
off
High Tide
10:15PM2.47m
10:32AM2.34m
10:55PM2.46m
11:14AM2.33m
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
Low Tide
4:05PM0.66m
4:41AM0.72m
4:45PM0.70m
5:23AM0.72m
5:27PM0.75m
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
part cloud
rain showers
clear
rain showers
rain showers
cloud
thunderstorm
rain showers
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:31
7:31
7:31
7:31
7:31
7:31
7:31
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:16
5:16
5:17
5:17
5:19
5:20
5:20
5:21
 mm
9
1
10
2
6
3
11
15
Temp °C
15
15
15
16
15
13
12
14
14
14
14
14
14
13
14
14
12
14
14
12
14
Feels °C
9
9
14
14
9
9
7
7
7
7
10
9
9
8
10
9
8
8
8
6
10
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.8
E
12
0.7
E
11
1.1
N
6
0.9
NNE
6
0.5
E
10
0.5
E
10
0.5
E
10
0.5
E
10
0.1
N
18
2.3
N
9
1.7
N
9
0.9
NNE
8
0.8
E
10
0.7
E
10
0.6
E
10
0.5
E
10
0.5
E
10
0.5
E
10
0.7
E
10
0.5
E
9
0.4
ESE
9
Energy kJ
180
116
95
55
49
48
49
47
6
924
473
115
122
96
66
50
50
46
88
44
29
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.1
N
10
0.6
E
11
0.6
E
10
0.4
NE
7
0.6
NE
7
0.2
E
12
0.9
E
7
0.6
NNE
8
0.3
NE
8
0.1
N
8
0.1
N
8
0.1
N
14
0.1
N
13
0.1
N
13
0.1
N
12
Energy kJ
2
79
72
14
29
12
81
51
9
1
1
4
3
3
3
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.6
NNW
6
0.4
ENE
12
0.4
N
8
0.2
N
8
0.1
N
14
0.1
N
13
Energy kJ
26
45
21
5
4
3
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.1
NNE
5
1.8
N
6
2.1
N
6
1.6
NNW
7
1.1
N
7
1.5
N
6
2.4
NNE
8
3
NNE
9
1.9
ESE
6
1.2
S
5
0.9
SSW
4
0.7
SW
4
0.5
SSW
3
0.3
SSW
3
0.7
SSE
4
1.2
SSE
5
0.8
S
4
1
S
4
0.9
S
4
Energy kJ
48
216
333
214
107
184
690
1232
235
71
34
15
7
1
15
56
22
38
28
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
1
3
1
1
3
1
1
5
4
3
3
2
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Distance (km)
240
211
0
7
307
7
61
67
67
100
44
13
0
22
0
0
13
0
13
13
22
Best forecast wave conditions in Northland
Rating
(10 max)
3
2
2
1
2
9
5
3
2
2
2
4
1
1
5
2
2
1
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand
Rating
(10 max)
3
4
2
4
5
5
6
7
9
5
4
4
3
4
4
4
5
5
4
5
4
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
5
5
5
9
6
5
6
8
7
5
5
9
8
9
9
5
7
5
4
8
4
  • 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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