Surf Forecasts:
Te Araroa surf forecast from 1 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 7 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 8s period, NW swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 8s period, NW swell with 1,419 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 6 Sep, 12AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 6s period with WNW 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 (Sep 06) at 12AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 10s. 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 3.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 12AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 8s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 12AM (Sun 6th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 12AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 12AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Te Araroa over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, I’m lookin’ at the forecast for Te Araroa, and I gotta be straight with ya – it’s a long wait for the good stuff. The ocean’s goin’ to be pretty flat and messy for the first week and a half, with only tiny, weak waves and iffy winds. The energy’s just not there, with readings as low as 12 (weak swell energy) for most of the early days. You’ll be chasin’ shadows if you paddle out before the 11th.
But patience pays off. The real action starts to build around Friday, the 11th of September. The morning brings a clean 6 ft swell from the NNE, with a light offshore breeze. Energy jumps to 361 (moderate wave energy) – that’s a solid, rideable wave with good shape. The sets will be a bit short-period though, around 7 seconds, so it’s more of a punchy, fun wave than a long roller.
The standout window is Saturday, the 12th of September. That morning, everything lines up. We’ve got a 8 ft NE swell, glassy conditions, and a massive swell energy reading of 1091 (very strong wave energy). That’s proper groundswell, with a 9-second period, so it’ll have some push. At that size, it’s an experienced surfer’s session – peaky, powerful, and clean. The cross-off wind in the afternoon will chop it up a bit, so hit it early.
Through the rest of that weekend and into Monday, the 13th, the swell hangs around 4 to 4 ft from the NE, with clean conditions. The energy drops to 386-486 (moderate wave energy), but it’s still a good, user-friendly wave for the experienced crew.
Now, Te Araroa is a beach and point setup, and the optimum swell direction is NE. That’s exactly what we’re getting for the best days. The water’s sitting at 59°F from the start, which is right on the money for this time of year – no surprises there.
The crowds? This spot says “never,” so you’ll likely have it all to yourself. A rare treat.
The first ten days are a real slog – very little surf. But the payoff from the 11th to the 13th is worth the wait. Keep your eyes on that Saturday morning glass-off.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Wed afternoon, min 8°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Sun night. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri morning, min 9°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat morning, strong winds from the NNW by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | |||||||||||||||
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) | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | NW 6 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | WNW 6 | NW 5 | NW 7 | NW 8 | E 10 | ENE 10 | NE 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 48 | 33 | 30 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 100 | 138 | 348 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 82 | 73 | 495 | 1419 | 8 | 9 | 4 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:12AM1.99m | 9:39PM2.00m | 9:57AM2.00m | 10:26PM1.98m | 10:46AM1.99m | 11:14PM1.98m | 11:39AM1.98m | 00:05AM1.98m | 12:38PM1.96m | 00:59AM1.97m | 1:41PM1.96m | 1:59AM1.96m | 2:50PM1.99m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 3:34PM0.40m | 4:03AM0.32m | 4:20PM0.43m | 4:47AM0.34m | 5:09PM0.47m | 5:36AM0.39m | 6:02PM0.53m | 6:28AM0.44m | 7:01PM0.58m | 7:25AM0.48m | 8:05PM0.61m | 8:28AM0.49m | 9:11PM0.62m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | |  |  |  | | |  | |
 | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — |
 | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 10 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 11 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 8 |
Feels °C | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | SSE 10 | ENE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 |
| kJ | 462 | 231 | 322 | 222 | 161 | 117 | 111 | 77 | 47 | 22 | 22 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 627 | 219 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | SSE 11 | NE 9 | SSE 18 | SSE 18 | SSE 17 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 12 | ENE 10 | SSE 9 | ENE 10 | — | ENE 10 | SSE 10 |
| kJ | 73 | 222 | 30 | 61 | 127 | 57 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 9 | 8 | 9 | — | 9 | 166 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 10 | NE 10 | SSE 17 | NE 9 | NE 9 | ENE 9 | N 11 | N 11 | N 10 | N 10 | N 10 | S 18 | N 10 | N 10 | S 8 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | NE 9 | S 18 | E 16 | NE 10 |
| kJ | 48 | 33 | 55 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | WNW 7 | W 7 | WNW 6 | W 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | NW 6 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | NW 5 | NW 7 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | S 5 | — |
| kJ | — | — | 173 | 206 | 341 | 377 | 145 | 179 | 100 | 138 | 348 | 478 | 249 | 190 | 82 | 73 | 495 | 1419 | 989 | 29 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 9 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 91 | 115 | 73 | 123 | 0 | 67 | 116 | 56 | 441 | 517 | 6 |
Best forecast wave conditions in East Cape | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Te Araroa surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest