Te Araroa Surf Break

Lat Long: 37.63° S 178.38° E

Te Araroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 am 04 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Te Araroa sea temperature is
15.5° C
0.6° 

Te Araroa surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Te Araroa surf forecast from 3 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Sunday 9 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 8s period, NNW swell with cross-shore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 9PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 9s period, NW swell with 3,081 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 6 Aug, 3AM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 16s 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 Thursday (Aug 06) at 3AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.3m and 16s 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 4.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 9PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 4.0m 12s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 6PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 3AM (Thu 6th Aug)1ft (0.3m) 16s
Best Surf 6PM (Sun 9th Aug)11ft (3.5m) 8s
Most Powerful 9PM (Sun 9th Aug)15ft (4.5m) 9s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Te Araroa over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the next couple of weeks at Te Araroa.

First up, don’t get too excited just yet. Tuesday the 4th and Wednesday the 5th are pretty much a write-off. Tiny little nothing waves, poor conditions, not worth paddling out for. The combined swell energy is just 23 and 28, so it’s weak. We’ve got a gap of a couple of days here with no real action.

Thursday the 6th starts to show a flicker of life. The water temp is sitting at 60°, which is about average for this time of year. Thursday morning is small, about 1 foot from the SE, but with a long 16-second period, and the energy is only 43 – still weak. Thursday afternoon gets a little better: 2 feet from the SE on a 14-second period, combined energy hits 100, and the wind goes glassy. That’s clean, but it’s still tiny.

Now, Friday the 7th morning is where things start to look good. Swell jumps to 5 feet from the SE, period 12 seconds, and the combined energy is a solid 591. The wind is glassy – south at 31 mph. That’s clean, glassy surf. This is a real highlight. The break is a beach and point setup, exposed to the NE, but the SE swell matches up fine. It’s a consistent spot, so it’s not a one-hit wonder. Crowds are never an issue here, which is a bonus. The water is still about average temp. This is the best on offer early on.

That afternoon, wind swings NW at 15 mph, cross-shore, and the quality drops a bit. Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th are messy – cross-winds, short period, and that Sunday afternoon gets to 8 feet from the NNW but with a woeful 7-second period and a 598 combined energy. That’s a lot of lumpy, short-period junk.

Monday the 10th sees some solid size – 8 feet from the NNW in the morning, 9-second period, and the combined energy is 1138 – that’s strong. But it’s raining, the wind is onshore, and it’s marginal. Not clean. That size is getting into the “too big for beginners” territory, and with the onshore wind, it’s not ideal.

The next standout is Wednesday the 12th afternoon. Glassy again, south wind at 5 mph, 5 feet from the SE on an 11-second period, combined energy of 605. That’s clean, good surf, and a solid call. Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th mornings also have glassy or light wind with 3 to 4 feet SE swell, periods around 10 seconds, and good energy (345 to 335). Those are worth a look.

Now, the second week gets a bit wild. Saturday the 15th gets messy with rain and cross-onshore wind, but the swell is 8 feet in the afternoon. Not clean.

From Sunday the 16th onwards, things get serious. The swell pumps up to 13 to 15 feet, with periods of 9 to 12 seconds, and the combined energy hits massive numbers – 3517, 2410, 3438, 9787, 4517, 9816, 3691, 4922. That’s very strong, enormous wave energy. The wind is cross-off or glassy, so it’ll be clean. But here’s the thing: the forecast says this is too big for the break. At 13 to 15 feet, that’s expert-only territory, and even then, it’s likely just a washing machine. For a beach and point setup, that size with long period (11-12 seconds) is going to be a monster. Honestly, that setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The swell is too big for a safe, fun paddle session.

So, the standout window is Friday the 7th morning, and then Wednesday the 12th afternoon through to Friday the 14th morning. The rest is either too small, too messy, or too big. Long-range on the 16th and beyond is promising but less certain, and frankly, it’s probably going to be too much for most.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 11°C on Tue morning, min 5°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Tue afternoon, calm by Thu afternoon).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Sun night. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat night, min 8°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light.

Tuesday
4
Wednesday
5
Thursday
6
Friday
7
Saturday
8
Sunday
9
Monday
10
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
3
3
1
2
0
0
0
0
1
!
3
2
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.3
NE
12
0.3
NE
12
0.2
NNE
12
0.2
NNE
12
0.1
N
14
0.1
NE
11
0.3
SE
16
0.5
SE
14
1.4
SE
11
1.4
SE
12
1.4
SE
11
1
SE
11
0.9
SSE
12
0.7
SE
11
0.2
NNW
12
1.4
NW
5
2.5
NNW
7
3.5
NW
9
2.5
NNW
9
2.2
NNW
9
1.9
NNW
9
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
23
23
14
13
5
5
39
96
408
561
439
242
0
116
14
106
592
2197
1132
838
626
Wind (km/h)
10
SSW
25
S
20
SSW
25
SSW
25
SSW
15
SW
10
SSW
5
S
5
SW
5
S
15
NW
15
W
20
W
20
WNW
25
WNW
25
NW
20
WNW
20
NW
15
NNE
15
WNW
35
S
Wind State
off
cross-off
off
off
off
off
off
glassy
off
glassy
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
on
cross
off
High Tide
10:19AM1.93m
10:49PM2.00m
11:06AM1.93m
11:34PM1.98m
11:58AM1.95m
00:22AM1.98m
12:53PM1.96m
1:16AM1.99m
1:53PM1.98m
2:15AM2.00m
3:01PM2.01m
3:21AM2.02m
4:13PM2.08m
Low Tide
4:39PM0.46m
5:14AM0.39m
5:26PM0.52m
5:59AM0.41m
6:18PM0.57m
6:49AM0.46m
7:16PM0.62m
7:44AM0.50m
8:20PM0.64m
8:46AM0.53m
9:25PM0.65m
9:51AM0.50m
10:30PM0.63m
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
cloud
rain showers
light rain
heavy rain
heavy rain
mod rain
rain showers
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:03
7:01
7:01
7:00
6:58
6:58
6:56
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:21
5:22
5:22
5:23
5:24
5:24
5:25
 mm
1
2
11
25
9
3
Temp °C
11
8
6
9
9
7
11
11
8
10
11
8
13
13
14
14
14
14
14
14
12
Feels °C
8
1
-1
2
3
2
7
8
5
8
7
4
8
8
8
9
10
11
10
12
5
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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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