
Surf Forecasts:
Te Araroa surf forecast from 18 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 19 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 13s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 13s period, SE swell with 509 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 19 Jul, 9AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 13s 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 19) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 13s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Te Araroa in the next 16 days are 1.2m 13s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 8s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 25) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Te Araroa over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for Te Araroa over the next couple of weeks.
The good news is we've got a nice little window of clean, fun surf kicking off this Sunday. The window is small, so you'll want to be on it, but the conditions look sweet. After that, things get pretty ordinary for a solid week, before a massive pulse of energy shows up right at the end of the outlook, though it brings its own problems. Let's break it down.
Sunday, 19th July is your standout day. The water temp is sitting at 61°, which is about 2° warmer than average for this time of year – a nice little treat. Early morning, under a clear sky, we've got a 4ft groundswell from the SE with a long 13-second period, pushing a solid, moderate wave energy (509). The wind is a cross-offshore breeze from the WSW at 19 mph, and the call is "clean." It's going to be a good session. By the afternoon, it gets even better – the wind drops to a glassy 3 mph from the SSE, with the swell holding at 4ft. The energy is still moderate (424), but those glassy conditions are a major positive. This is your pick of the whole outlook.
Monday, 20th July sees the wind pick up hard from the south at 16 mph, making a mess of things. The swell drops to 3ft with poor conditions. Give it a miss.
Tuesday, 21st July through to Thursday, 23rd July are all very ordinary. The swell is tiny, dropping from 2ft down to 1ft, with weak energy (125 down to 51). The wind is light and variable, sometimes offshore, but the waves just aren't there to do anything with. It's a flat spell.
Friday, 24th July is a write-off. Strong onshore winds and a messy, short-period windswell build up to 6ft in the afternoon. Not worth getting wet.
Saturday, 25th July through to Thursday, 30th July just stay poor. There's a couple of days with clean conditions and a long-period swell, but the wave heights are tiny (1.0ft to 3ft), and the energy is weak. The wind is often strong and cross-off, which cleans the surface but there's nothing to ride. A long, blank stretch.
Friday, 31st July morning has a tiny 1ft swell and glassy conditions, but it's more of a paddle than a surf.
Now, Saturday, 1st August things get interesting. The morning has a 6ft, short-period (6s) swell from the NW, with glassy conditions and moderate energy (306). That's surfable. But the afternoon is where it gets big. An 12ft NW swell rolls in with strong energy (1193), but it's flagged as too big for this break. This is for experienced big-wave surfers only, and even then, it's a maybe.
Sunday, 2nd August is the big one. A massive 15ft to 16ft NW groundswell hits with a 10-second period. The energy is immense (3351 to 4776). The wind is manageable, but at these sizes, Te Araroa is going to be a washing machine. This is expert-only territory, and honestly, it looks more like a spectacle than a surf session for most. After that, Monday, 3rd August sees the swell drop back to junk with strong onshore winds.
So, in summary: Sunday, 19th July is the only true standout. Get out there for those glassy, clean 4ft-4ft waves. The big swell at the start of August is a warning, not a welcome.
Stay safe out there.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 13°C on Sun morning, min 9°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 14°C on Fri morning, min 9°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed afternoon, fresh winds from the NW by Fri afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | |||||||||||||||
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 13 | SE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | ESE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | E 9 | NNW 5 | NW 7 | E 10 | SE 16 | SE 15 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
509 | 424 | 255 | 184 | 177 | 130 | 123 | 109 | 168 | 55 | 53 | 25 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 53 | 158 | 355 | 128 | 69 | 181 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:17AM2.12m | 10:47PM2.19m | 11:09AM2.06m | 11:36PM2.11m | 12:02PM2.00m | 00:24AM2.05m | 12:54PM1.94m | 1:10AM1.99m | 1:46PM1.90m | 1:56AM1.93m | 2:39PM1.88m | 2:45AM1.88m | 3:36PM1.88m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:33PM0.45m | 5:11AM0.43m | 5:23PM0.51m | 5:59AM0.46m | 6:12PM0.57m | 6:47AM0.51m | 7:03PM0.64m | 7:35AM0.57m | 7:58PM0.71m | 8:26AM0.62m | 8:54PM0.76m | 9:20AM0.66m | 9:50PM0.79m | ||||||||
7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | |
— | 5:08 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 6 | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 |
Feels °C | 11 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 13 | SE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | ESE 11 | SE 11 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 8 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 9 | E 8 | NW 7 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 15 |
509 | 424 | 255 | 184 | 177 | 130 | 123 | 109 | 168 | 93 | 69 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 53 | 50 | 355 | 128 | 68 | 181 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 23 | WNW 6 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | SSE 20 | SSE 20 | SSE 19 | SSE 16 | N 9 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSE 8 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | ESE 11 | E 10 | SSE 6 | SE 16 | E 10 |
293 | 55 | 14 | 2 | 77 | 304 | 142 | 144 | 2 | 55 | 53 | 25 | 21 | 30 | 29 | 16 | 11 | 67 | 12 | 69 | 32 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 7 | SSE 22 | SSE 16 | SSE 20 | N 10 | N 10 | N 10 | SSE 19 | N 10 | NW 8 | W 3 | E 7 | SE 11 | SSE 8 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | S 10 | E 11 | SE 18 | SSE 7 | S 8 |
16 | 91 | 26 | 38 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 37 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 30 | 12 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 22 | 12 | 9 | 5 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 6 | — | SSE 6 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SE 5 | — | — | — | SE 5 | — | NW 5 | NW 3 | NW 4 | NNW 5 | S 9 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 |
117 | — | 24 | 93 | 61 | 48 | 27 | 17 | — | — | — | 5 | — | 1 | 3 | 35 | 158 | 7 | 229 | 537 | 979 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 56 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 0 | 119 | 18 | 18 | 116 | 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.










