
Surf Forecasts:
Te Araroa surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 17 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 15s period, ESE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 16s period, SE swell with 1,531 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 9PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 9s period with SE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Te Araroa this week:
The surf forecast for Te Araroa over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 12) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Te Araroa in the next 16 days are 1.8m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 18) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Sun 12th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Fri 17th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Sat 18th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Te Araroa over the next 16 days.
Alright, Rusty here, and we're looking at Te Araroa.
First off, the water's sitting at 62°, which is a touch warmer than what you'd normally expect for this time of year. Not a huge deal, but nice.
This stretch starts out a bit slow, but there's a real gem coming our way. On Sunday the 17th, Friday morning is the standout. We've got a solid 5ft groundswell rolling in from the ESE with a very long 15-second period. The energy is pumping, clocking in at 1117 (moderate wave energy). What really seals the deal is the glassy conditions with a light southerly breeze. It's clean, it's got punch, and it's going to be excellent for experienced surfers. The swell direction from the ESE lines up nicely with the optimum from the NE, making for some proper, well-shaped waves.
Leading up to that, Thursday the 16th will be a bit of a teaser. Morning has a small 2ft ESE swell with a very long 14-second period, building to 3ft with an 18-second period in the afternoon. The energy jumps to 495 (moderate wave energy) in the afternoon, and it's clean with a light cross-offshore breeze. It’s surfable and clean, but nothing compared to Friday.
Saturday the 18th morning keeps the quality high with a 6ft ESE swell, still a long 14-second period, and a solid 1142 energy (strong wave energy). The wind is offshore from the SSW, so it’ll be clean and powerful. Definitely another good session, but the Friday morning is the pick.
Now, after that, things get a bit messy. Sunday the 19th through Tuesday the 22nd see the wind turning onshore or cross-onshore, and the waves get smaller and choppy. There’s a couple of clean moments on Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st, but the swell is small and the conditions are ordinary.
Then, from Wednesday the 22nd through Friday the 24th, we get a massive pulse of swell, but it’s too much of a good thing. We're looking at 18ft to 20ft swells with energy readings over 9000 (very strong wave energy). That's way too big for Te Araroa. Even though the wind is favorable, the forecast says it's too big for the break. This is expert-only territory, and honestly, at that size and with the wind, it might be more interesting for the kite surfers than paddle surfers.
The last few days of the outlook, from Saturday the 25th onwards, the swell drops back down but the wind stays messy and the conditions are marginal at best. There's a bit of a swell on the 25th, but the wind is cross-shore and choppy, so not worth getting too excited about.
So, to wrap it up: the clear winner is the Sunday the 17th, Friday morning. Get on it. The Saturday morning is a solid second. The rest is a mix of small stuff, onshore slop, or waves that are just plain too big.
Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Tue morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Tue afternoon, min 9°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Wed afternoon, min 10°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 8 | NW 5 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | ESE 14 | ESE 18 | ESE 16 | ESE 15 | SE 15 | SE 15 | ESE 14 | SE 14 | SE 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
321 | 255 | 235 | 148 | 101 | 74 | 96 | 123 | 240 | 106 | 105 | 56 | 165 | 491 | 892 | 1117 | 1396 | 1358 | 1142 | 822 | 517 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | glassy | cross | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:27PM2.12m | 4:46AM2.13m | 5:35PM2.22m | 5:48AM2.18m | 6:34PM2.33m | 6:46AM2.21m | 7:26PM2.39m | 7:41AM2.21m | 8:16PM2.40m | 8:34AM2.20m | 9:06PM2.36m | 9:25AM2.17m | 9:57PM2.28m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:12AM0.55m | 10:46PM0.66m | 11:15AM0.49m | 11:49PM0.62m | 12:12PM0.42m | 00:48AM0.58m | 1:06PM0.36m | 1:46AM0.54m | 1:58PM0.34m | 2:40AM0.49m | 2:50PM0.35m | 3:31AM0.45m | 3:42PM0.39m | ||||||||
7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | |
— | 5:04 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 11 |
Feels °C | 8 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 13 | ESE 14 | ESE 18 | ESE 16 | ESE 15 | SE 15 | SE 15 | ESE 14 | SE 14 | SE 13 |
321 | 255 | 235 | 148 | 101 | 74 | 46 | 26 | 34 | 39 | 42 | 56 | 165 | 491 | 892 | 1117 | 1396 | 1358 | 1142 | 822 | 517 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 16 | SE 14 | S 11 | SSE 11 | S 8 | S 9 | S 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 8 | NE 10 | NE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 19 | NE 10 | NW 4 | SSE 5 | SSE 4 | SE 6 | W 6 | WNW 5 | SSE 23 |
10 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 19 | 34 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 6 | 12 | 77 | 21 | 306 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 12 | N 11 | NE 12 | NE 12 | S 11 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 11 | S 8 | S 9 | NE 10 | NE 10 | S 18 | NE 10 | NW 4 | SW 16 | SSW 11 | SE 6 | S 11 | WNW 4 |
3 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 4 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | S 7 | — | — | — | NW 3 | NW 5 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | WNW 5 | WNW 4 | SSE 5 | — | SW 5 | WNW 4 | SSE 6 | SSE 5 | SSE 6 |
62 | 35 | — | — | — | 5 | 96 | 123 | 240 | 106 | 105 | 44 | 30 | 26 | 23 | — | 13 | 16 | 21 | 30 | 38 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 39 | 18 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 9 | 0 | 39 | 39 |
Best forecast wave conditions in East Cape | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Te Araroa Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Te Araroa provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Te Araroa can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Te Araroa 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 (Te Araroa) 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 Te Araroa 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.
Are you planning a holiday in East Cape? If you are looking for accommodation near Te Araroa, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in East Cape, consider staying in Gisborne which is 119 km (74 miles) away.










