Te Araroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The outlook for Te Araroa is a bit of a mixed bag, with a long stretch of nothing much to get excited about before a couple of windows open up later. Hang tight, because the good stuff is a way off yet.

The water’s sitting at 60°F with a minor anomaly of 1°F—pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year, nothing unusual there.

We start off Sunday afternoon, the 2nd of August, with tiny 2ft swell from the southeast, period around 12 seconds. The energy’s weak (154) and the wind is a light cross-offshore from the southeast, keeping it clean, but it’s really just surfable, nothing special. Not worth paddling out for.

Then we hit a big dry spell. From Monday the 3rd right through to Wednesday morning the 6th, there’s basically nothing doing. Swell drops to 1ft or less, mostly from the northeast with short periods, and the energy is pitiful—down in the double digits. Winds are offshore at times, keeping it clean, but there’s just no wave to ride. A few days of flatness.

But then, Thursday morning the 6th of August, things wake up. A 5ft swell from the southeast rolls in, period around 10 seconds, and the energy jumps to 533—moderate to strong. The wind is a gentle offshore from the southwest, so it’s clean and lined up. This is a standout window. The swell’s a bit more than 5ft, so it’s pushing into intermediate territory, but with that offshore wind, it’ll be offering some proper waves. Te Araroa is a beach and point setup, and this southeast swell is a good fit. The period is around 10 seconds, so it’s got some push but won’t be too drawn out. This is the best of the first week.

Friday morning the 7th isn’t bad either—4ft from the southeast with glassy conditions, energy at 412. It’s a step down in size but still clean and fun. The afternoon gets a bit lumpy with cross-shore wind, so aim for the morning.

After that, it falls away again. Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th are mostly small and messy, with poor conditions and weak energy. There’s a brief moment Sunday afternoon with 3ft from the southeast and energy at 219, but it’s marginal with cross-shore winds.

The second week is a bit of a slog. Monday the 10th through to Saturday the 15th are mostly tiny—2ft to 3ft—with poor energy and wind making things messy. There’s a couple of glassy mornings (Monday and Tuesday the 11th) but the swell is short-period and weak. The standout in the second half is actually the morning of Tuesday the 11th, with 5ft from the north-northwest but a period of just 6 seconds—that’s short-period windswell, so it’s going to be bumpy and weak. Not great.

But hold on—Monday the 17th of August, the final day of the outlook, brings a solid pulse. The morning shows 3ft from the northeast, period 10 seconds, energy 201, with a light cross-offshore wind from the west-southwest, keeping it clean. The afternoon is even better: 5ft from the north, period 6 seconds, energy 280, and glassy conditions. That’s a decent finish. The size is there for intermediate to advanced surfers, and the glassy wind will make it clean. Just note the short period on the afternoon swell—it’ll be a bit disorganised but still fun.

So, the best call? Thursday morning the 6th of August, with that 5ft southeast swell and offshore wind. The second best is Monday afternoon the 17th, with a similar size and glassy conditions. The gap between the 6th and the 17th is mostly poor, with only a few marginal moments.

Rusty.

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