Te Araroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Te Araroa has cooking for us over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you, it’s a pretty bleak run overall. The numbers just aren't there for a proper session for most of this forecast period.

Looking at the whole picture, this is a grim stretch. We’ve got a solid two-week gap where there's almost nothing to get excited about. The first real glimmer of hope doesn't show up until Thursday the 3rd of September, and even then it's a one-off moment. For days on end, we're looking at tiny swell and messy wind. The energy levels are pitiful, mostly sitting between 40 and 100, with a lot of readings well under 50, so there’s just no power in the water.

Okay, let's walk through it day by day. From Sunday the 23rd of August right through the rest of the month, it's a write-off. We've got poor surf conditions day after day. Winds are howling from the northwest or west, creating chop and lumpy seas. The swell is tiny—a foot at best—and when it does pop up a bit, like the 8ft on the 23rd afternoon, the period is a short 7 seconds and the wind is a messy cross-shore. The combined energy hits 581 on that one, which is moderate, but it's just a sloppy mess. Not worth paddling out for.

This poor run stretches all the way through August. We get a bit of clean-looking water on the 24th and 25th mornings, but the swell is a pathetic 1ft. The waves just aren't there. We get into a more consistent pattern of cross-offshore winds, which would be nice, but the swell height is stuck in the gutter, never topping 2ft. It’s a frustrating tease. The wind cranks up again on the 29th with strong cross-onshore that’s just messy.

The first real standout in this whole forecast is on Thursday, the 3rd of September. Thursday morning, we finally see something different. It’s glassy. Glassy! A light southwesterly breeze, 3 mph, has the ocean looking like a mirror. We've got a clean 5ft swell rolling in from the northwest with an 8-second period. The combined energy is a moderate 336, which is the best we've seen by a long shot. This is the one. It’s not a massive swell, but for a beach and point break like Te Araroa, that 5ft from the northwest with glassy conditions will produce some clean, fun waves. Don't expect a crowd, but it’s a solid shot at a good session. This is your best bet by a long shot.

Sadly, it doesn't last. By Thursday afternoon, the swell collapses back to 2ft. And then Friday the 4th of September cranks up the wind again with a strong northwesterly blowing 19 mph, and the swell jumps up to 10ft to 12ft. That's expert territory, but the wind is just wrecking it, making it lumpy and ugly. The energy is high—868 and 1698—but it's just a wind-blown mess. Not one for a paddle, that looks more like a kite day if you ask me.

After that, it drops right off again. We're back to tiny 0.5ft to 1ft clean little dribbles for the rest of the forecast right through to Monday the 7th of September. It's flat.

So, honestly, if you're free on the morning of Thursday the 3rd of September, Te Araroa could be all-time with that glass and clean 5ft NW groundswell. Every other time slot is a hard pass. Keep an eye on the forecasts, though—this area doesn't tend to stay this flat forever.

Rusty.

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