Surf Forecasts:
Te Araroa surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 10s period, SE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 19 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 10s period, SE swell with 1,028 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 10s 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 Wednesday (Aug 19) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.4m and 10s period. 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 2.4m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 4.0m 10s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 9PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 9PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Te Araroa over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, checking in with a look at what's coming down the line for our stretch of coast.
Honestly, it's a bit of a lean start. We're looking at a lot of small, weak, or just plain windy days for the first week or so. The water temp is sitting around 60°, which is pretty much normal for the time of year, nothing to get excited about.
The best bet, and really the only standout on offer, is Thursday, August 20th at Te Araroa. It’s a beach and point setup that faces the NE swell, and we're getting a consistent offshore wind from the SSW. Thursday morning, with a light breeze and some sunshine, we'll see a solid 5ft swell pushing in from the southeast with a period of 9 seconds. The combined energy will be moderate (414), feeling pretty good. The afternoon cleans up even more with a slight offshore air and 5ft swell. This is your window for the cleanest surf of the period.
Friday, August 21st, is still surfable with a 3ft southeast swell in the morning, but the wind swings cross-offshore, and the quality drops. By Saturday the 22nd, we get a jump in size with a 5ft swell from the WNW but the period drops to a short 6 seconds and it’s a messy cross-off breeze, making for marginal conditions.
After that, things go pretty flat and poor. We get a long gap of tiny, weak waves from Sunday, August 23rd, right through the following week. The wind is mostly cross or cross-off, but the swell is just too small to do anything with. The energy levels are in the weak range (under 100) for almost all of it.
We see a bit of a pulse of raw size at the very end of the month. Around Friday, August 28th and into Saturday, August 29th, the swell jumps up – we're talking 7ft on Friday afternoon and a big 10ft on Saturday morning. But the wind is onshore or cross-onshore, and the period stays short at 7-8 seconds. The wave energy gets strong (961 on Saturday morning), but with that wind and short period, it's going to be a chop-fest. That setup looks way more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, honestly. The surf quality is marked as poor throughout that whole bump.
So, lock in that Thursday the 20th for your best chance at clean waves. The rest is a waiting game.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu morning, min 6°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the S on Wed morning, calm by Thu afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat afternoon, min 10°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the W on Fri morning, fresh winds from the WNW by Sun morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | N 10 | SSE 10 | SE 14 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 10 | WNW 6 | SE 9 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 28 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 66 | 858 | 412 | 286 | 138 | 110 | 160 | 73 | 158 | 20 | 16 | 34 | 33 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:40AM2.03m | 11:03PM2.04m | 11:28AM1.97m | 11:46PM1.99m | 12:17PM1.92m | 00:29AM1.93m | 1:07PM1.88m | 1:13AM1.87m | 2:00PM1.85m | 2:02AM1.81m | 2:56PM1.84m | 2:58AM1.78m | 3:55PM1.84m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:54PM0.47m | 5:24AM0.43m | 5:39PM0.55m | 6:08AM0.50m | 6:27PM0.64m | 6:53AM0.57m | 7:20PM0.72m | 7:40AM0.65m | 8:17PM0.78m | 8:34AM0.71m | 9:14PM0.80m | 9:33AM0.72m | 10:06PM0.79m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  |  | |  | | | | | | | |  | | | | | |
 | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — |
 | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — |
mm | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 12 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 13 |
Feels °C | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | W 5 | SE 14 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 |
| kJ | 587 | 635 | 990 | 8 | 66 | 858 | 412 | 286 | 138 | 110 | 160 | 73 | 41 | 20 | 24 | 22 | 33 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 9 | W 5 | N 10 | — | — | SSE 16 | N 10 | ESE 13 | SSE 8 | S 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | S 9 | SSE 16 | SSE 15 |
| kJ | 28 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 52 | 2 | 18 | 87 | 33 | 19 | 19 | 23 | 14 | 16 | 34 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 26 | 22 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 10 | ENE 9 | — | — | — | — | — | W 4 | ESE 14 | SE 12 | SSE 17 | SE 17 | NE 15 | SSE 12 | ESE 8 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 12 | NE 12 | S 9 | NE 11 |
| kJ | 2 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 18 | 39 | 29 | 12 | 8 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 5 | S 10 | S 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | S 11 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | — | WNW 3 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 5 | WNW 6 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 |
| kJ | 4 | 1997 | 4061 | 2088 | 1778 | 1045 | 848 | 727 | — | 1 | 87 | 59 | 158 | 186 | 107 | 418 | 963 | 516 | 286 | 254 | 253 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 6 | 39 | 6 | 39 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 9 | 56 | 18 | 18 | 75 | 18 | 75 | 67 | 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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