Surf Forecasts:
Te Araroa surf forecast from 28 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 30 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period, NNW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 5 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 8s period, NW swell with 1,272 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 29 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 7s period with NNW 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 Saturday (Aug 29) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 7s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Te Araroa in the next 16 days are 3.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 05) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.5m 8s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 6AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Te Araroa over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Te Araroa over the next couple of weeks.
Alright mate, it’s a bit of a slow burn this time around. We’ve got a decent window coming up this weekend, but the forecast gets pretty messy after that. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing wild going on there.
The first real chance to get wet is on Sunday, the 30th of August. The morning starts clean with a light cross-offshore breeze from the west, and the swell is a solid 6 ft coming from the NNE. It’s got a short period of 8 seconds, so it’s not the most powerful stuff, but the conditions will be very good. The combined energy is moderate at 629. The afternoon gets even better – the wind drops right out to glassy conditions, with the same 6 ft NNE swell. That’s your standout session right there. It’s a beach and point setup, so the glassy water is going to make for some fun, clean lines.
Monday the 31st is a big drop-off. The swell fades to 2 ft from the north with weak energy (95), and while the morning is clean, it’s really just small and ordinary.
Then we hit a long dry spell. From Tuesday, the 1st of September, right through to Friday the 11th, the surf is mostly flat or just junk. There are a few pulses of swell, like 6 ft on Friday the 4th and 6 ft that afternoon, but the wind is messy and cross-shore or cross-on, creating choppy, poor conditions. It’s not worth paddling out.
We get one interesting spike on Wednesday, the 9th of September. The swell is predicted to be 13 ft from the NW with a period of 9 seconds, and the combined energy is massive at 2286. The wind is light and cross-shore, but here’s the thing – that swell is way too big for this break. It’s going to be a washing machine, only for the experts, and even then, it’s risky. The afternoon jumps to 15 ft with onshore wind. If you’re a kitesurfer, this setup might look good, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a hard pass.
The rest of the second week stays poor, with strong winds and lumpy seas. There’s a tiny, clean 2 ft south swell on Saturday the 12th, but it’s barely surfable.
So, to sum it up: your best bet is Sunday the 30th of August, especially the afternoon glass-off. Don’t bother with the rest until the forecasts clean up.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 51mm), heaviest during Sat night. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun morning, min 11°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu afternoon, min 8°C on Tue afternoon). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Mon night, calm by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | ||||||||||||||
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) | NW 5 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 7 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 9 | N 9 | N 10 | NNE 10 | NNE 10 | NE 10 | NE 9 | NW 7 | NE 8 | NE 10 | NE 11 | NE 11 | WNW 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 102 | 190 | 280 | 197 | 348 | 383 | 262 | 54 | 46 | 60 | 60 | 45 | 29 | 88 | 11 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 159 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:06AM1.93m | 7:34PM2.03m | 7:48AM1.95m | 8:13PM2.04m | 8:30AM1.97m | 8:54PM2.02m | 9:12AM1.99m | 9:39PM2.00m | 9:57AM2.00m | 10:26PM1.98m | 10:46AM1.99m | 11:14PM1.98m | |||||||
Low Tide | 1:14AM0.52m | 1:22PM0.44m | 1:56AM0.43m | 2:05PM0.40m | 2:38AM0.36m | 2:49PM0.39m | 3:20AM0.32m | 3:34PM0.40m | 4:03AM0.32m | 4:20PM0.43m | 4:47AM0.34m | 5:09PM0.47m | |||||||
 |  |  |  |  | |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — |
mm | 1 | 2 | 4 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 16 | 12 |
Feels °C | 10 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 11 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | NNW 7 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 9 | N 9 | SSE 8 | NNE 10 | NNE 10 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | SSE 11 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 |
| kJ | 69 | 47 | 46 | 197 | 348 | 383 | 262 | 54 | 40 | 60 | 60 | 489 | 183 | 234 | 150 | 161 | 107 | 75 | 47 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 5 | ENE 5 | SE 13 | SE 12 | NNW 8 | WNW 7 | NE 9 | NE 9 | N 10 | S 9 | SSE 11 | NE 10 | SSE 12 | NE 9 | NE 8 | SSE 17 | NE 11 | NE 11 | NE 10 |
| kJ | 4 | 5 | 27 | 52 | 261 | 93 | 42 | 41 | 46 | 39 | 71 | 45 | 405 | 26 | 11 | 116 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 14 | SE 13 | NE 9 | NE 10 | SE 11 | NNW 8 | SE 10 | SSE 11 | NE 9 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | SSE 12 | NE 9 | N 11 | SSE 16 | NE 10 | SSE 16 | N 11 | N 10 |
| kJ | 20 | 28 | 3 | 16 | 20 | 123 | 17 | 11 | 41 | 77 | 6 | 54 | 29 | 3 | 26 | 16 | 25 | 2 | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 5 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NE 6 | — | — | WNW 7 | W 8 | WNW 7 | W 7 | WNW 8 | SSE 6 | — | NW 7 | WNW 6 | W 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 |
| kJ | 102 | 190 | 280 | 25 | — | — | 355 | 504 | 355 | 619 | 1101 | 31 | — | 88 | 338 | 247 | 198 | 237 | 159 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 75 | 75 | 91 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 121 | 18 | 67 | 39 | 6 | 18 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 18 |
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.
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