Te Araroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, checking in for Te Araroa. Let's have a look at what's on the table.

Alright, right off the bat, the next few days are a bit of a mixed bag with some messy conditions and a lot of rain blowing through. We’ve got a real standout brewing for the weekend, though, so keep your eyes on that.

Starting Tuesday morning, we've got rain showers and a moderate northerly wind blowing onshore, pushing a 6ft NW windswell with short 8-second periods. The water is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year at 62°. It's not looking great, so just give it a miss. The afternoon gets stormy too, so no dice there.

Wednesday sees a shift with a southerly breeze coming through – a cross-offshore wind – and the swell bumps up a little to 6ft from the NW with a slightly longer 9-second period. The wave energy is moderate, around 1156. Still, the conditions are only marginal, so it’s not exactly firing.

Thursday morning brings a bit of hope with a light southerly offshore wind and a cleaner 4ft swell from the ESE with a 10-second period, which is a groundswell. The energy is moderate at 495. Conditions look clean, but the size is small. Fun for a longboard maybe, but nothing to write home about. The afternoon gets sloppy again.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Saturday the 11th is the standout. The morning shows a solid 7ft SE groundswell with a 10-second period, a moderate offshore wind from the south, and wave energy of 915. It's gonna be well-shaped and clean. By Saturday afternoon, it gets properly exciting – a 10ft SE swell is pumping in with 2508 in combined energy (strong wave energy). The wind is a gentle offshore from the SSW, meaning clean, groomed faces. This size is definitely for experienced surfers only; over 8ft, it's expert territory. If you've got the skills, this is the time to be out at Te Araroa. The crowd here is never an issue, so you'll have plenty of room.

Sunday the 12th should still be fun, with a 6ft SE swell and offshore winds in the morning, but it'll drop off a notch. The afternoon gets a bit cross-off and messy.

Monday the 13th offers a glassy morning with a 5ft ESE swell – super clean, but small. Good for a quiet session.

From Tuesday the 14th, it all goes a bit pear-shaped for a while. We get a lot of strong cross-shore winds and lumpy conditions, with a few pulses of NW windswell that are just ugly. A few longer-period ESE groundswells roll through mid-week (like Wednesday 15th afternoon with a 15-second period and Thursday 16th morning with 14 seconds), but the winds are cross or cross-onshore, so the quality suffers. The energy is up there (1083 and 1479), but it's not worth it with the chop.

Then from the 18th onwards, strong southerly winds take over and keep things blown out, with small, weak 3ft to 4ft ESE swells and poor conditions through to the end of the period. There's a tiny glimmer on the 22nd with a clean, light-wind morning and a 3ft ESE groundswell, but it’s small and weak.

So, bottom line: forget the early week. Target Saturday 11th for the real deal – solid, clean, expert-only surf. Sunday 12th morning is a decent secondary option, and Monday 13th morning is your glassy, small-wave choice. After that, it's a long stretch of poor conditions right through the end of the month.

Rusty, signing off.

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