Te Araroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, grab a coffee. Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Te Araroa over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, this is a tough one. The next 16 days are mostly a write-off for decent surf. There are a few windows where you *could* get wet, but nothing is screaming "go now." The first real chance to paddle out doesn’t even show up until Friday the 11th, and even then, it’s pretty weak.

We start off the run with a clear gap. From today (Thursday the 10th) right through to the end of Friday the 11th, it’s looking grim. The morning of the 10th offers a tiny 2ft swell from the SE with a short 7-second period, and cross-shore winds are already giving it a chop. The afternoon gets a bit bigger at 4ft from the WNW, but it’s a messy 5-second wind swell with a cross-chop. Not worth it.

Friday the 11th is the first time you might poke your head out. The morning has a 1ft swell from the NE, but with a very long 13-second period. That’s a proper groundswell, but it’s tiny. The combined energy is weak (114), and it’s a cross-offshore wind, keeping it clean. The afternoon is even smaller at 2ft, but the period drops to 9 seconds, and the energy is weak (75). It’s surfable, but very ordinary.

Saturday the 12th morning is the closest thing to a standout in this whole run, and I’m not even that excited about it. The swell is still only 1ft from the NE, but the period is a very long 13 seconds, and we have offshore winds from the SSW. That’s clean, glassy conditions for a tiny, long-period groundswell. The combined energy is weak (88). This is best for a longboard at a point setup, as the long period will make it break too straight on a beach. Te Araroa is a beach and point, so hit the point. Crowds are never an issue here, so you’ll have it to yourself.

After that, the next week is a total blank. From Saturday afternoon right through to the following Saturday the 19th, it’s all poor surf. Lots of wind, small chop, and nothing to ride. The swell does bump up a bit on the 19th with 6ft from the WNW, but it’s a short 6-second period with a strong cross-chop (205 energy). That’s junk. It’s more interesting for a kite than a paddle.

The run finally offers a glimmer on Sunday the 20th. The morning has 4ft from the NW with a 6-second period, but it’s clean with a cross-offshore wind. The afternoon is the best of the whole 16 days: glassy conditions with a 4ft NW swell. The combined energy is moderate (108). It’s surfable, but the short period means it’s not got much grunt. It’s a last-resort session.

The rest of the run into the 25th is a mix of small swells and strong cross-shore winds. The 25th morning shows a 4ft NNE swell with a long 11-second period and clean cross-offshore wind, and the energy is moderate (281). That’s promising for a long-range look, but it’s a long way off, so treat it as a maybe.

Overall, the best on offer is the Saturday morning (12th September) with the tiny but clean offshore groundswell, or the Sunday afternoon (20th September) with the glassy 4ft. Neither is a pump, but it’s what we’ve got.

The water temperature is about average for the time of year at Te Araroa.

Rusty.

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