Tawharanui Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's coming up for this stretch of coast.

So, to be straight with you, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim overall. There’s no real run of decent swell, and most of the time the wind is going to mess things up. We’re looking at a long stretch of flat or poor conditions before anything gets interesting.

Tawharanui is a beach and reef setup that’s fairly consistent, so it does pick up a bit of energy, but the quality just isn't there. The first real action we see is a pulse of swell from the north averaging 6 ft to 6 ft hitting on Monday the 6th and Tuesday the 7th. Problem is, that’s coming with strong northerly winds onshore—fresh breeze to moderate breeze—making for lumpy, poor surf. The water temp is sitting around 60°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

We then hit a major dry spell. There’s basically nothing worth paddling out for from Wednesday the 8th all the way through to Friday the 17th. The swell drops off to tiny, weak waves below 3 ft, and despite some clean-looking winds (like offshore from the southwest on Wednesday the 8th afternoon, or light breezes on the weekend), the combined swell energy is pathetic, barely registering in the low two-digit range. It’s just not happening.

Now, on Friday the 17th, we see a jump back up to 5 ft from the NNW, but again, the period is short (6 seconds), and the wind is howling from the south at 25 mph in the afternoon. Even though it’s cross-offshore and clean, that period is too short for any real push—just lumpy, messy waves. That continues into Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th, with a bit more size on Sunday (5 ft to 5 ft from the NE) but moderate cross-shore winds making it choppy. The combined energy on Sunday morning is solid at 489, so there’s power, but the wind kills the quality.

The real standout, and honestly the only window I’d get excited about, is on Monday the 21st of July. Tuesday morning brings a clean 3 ft NE swell with a 10-second period and a gentle offshore breeze from the SSW. The combined energy jumps to 340, so there’s good push. Then Tuesday afternoon is the pick: a north swell building to 7 ft, 7-second period, and a light cross-offshore breeze from the SSE. The energy spikes to 523. That’s a solid, punchy wave with clean conditions. Tawharanui handles north swell okay, and with light wind, it should be peeling nicely. Expect crowds to be likely though—it’s a spot that gets busy when it’s good. This one is for experienced surfers though; 7 ft with that period will have some grunt.

So, in short: the next week and a half is pretty much a write-off. Keep your eyes on that Tuesday the 21st for the best chance of a proper session.

Rusty.

Read more