Surf Forecasts:
Te Araroa surf forecast from 21 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 12s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 7s period, NW swell with 773 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 12s 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 27) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 12s 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 2.5m 7s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.5m 8s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 9AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Te Araroa over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s see what’s shaking on the surf front.
The next few days are looking pretty flat. Small, weak swells and poor conditions are on tap from Saturday the 22nd through the middle of the following week. The water’s about average for this time of year, nothing crazy.
The first real chance at a wave comes Thursday morning, the 27th of August. Te Araroa (beach and point) picks up a clean 3ft southeast swell with a solid 12-second period, light cross-off wind, and moderate wave energy (201). It’s a long-period groundswell, so the point is where you’ll find the best shape. It’s not big, but it’s clean and rideable—a good, quiet morning option.
After that, it’s back to the doldrums with messy cross-shore winds and tiny waves through the end of August and into early September. Nothing worth getting wet for until Thursday the 3rd of September. That afternoon, a 5ft southeast swell shows up with a 12 mph offshore wind from the SSW, making for clean, lined-up waves. The energy is moderate (288), and the period is short at 8 seconds, so it’ll be a bit weaker, but the offshore wind will tidy it up nicely. This one’s for the experienced crew—over 5ft, it’s too much for beginners.
The rest of the forecast into the second week fades out again with tiny, weak swells and poor conditions. No other standouts to speak of.
If I’m picking the best bets, it’s Thursday the 27th of August for a clean, mellow session, and Thursday the 3rd of September for a punchier wave with offshore wind. That’s the one to mark down.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Sun night. Very mild (max 14°C on Sat afternoon, min 8°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NW on Sun afternoon, calm by Mon morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu morning, min 9°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | NW 7 | NW 7 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | SE 14 | SE 13 | SE 13 | ESE 12 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | E 4 | NE 4 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 96 | 41 | 20 | 138 | 204 | 490 | 223 | 33 | 34 | 48 | 44 | 26 | 15 | 27 | 27 | 24 | 197 | 10 | 4 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross | off |
High Tide | 1:13AM1.87m | 2:00PM1.85m | 2:02AM1.81m | 2:56PM1.84m | 2:58AM1.78m | 3:55PM1.84m | 3:55AM1.79m | 4:50PM1.86m | 4:49AM1.83m | 5:37PM1.90m | 5:37AM1.87m | 6:18PM1.95m | |||||||
Low Tide | 7:40AM0.65m | 8:17PM0.78m | 8:34AM0.71m | 9:14PM0.80m | 9:33AM0.72m | 10:06PM0.79m | 10:28AM0.70m | 10:56PM0.75m | 11:17AM0.64m | 11:43PM0.69m | 12:00PM0.56m | 00:29AM0.61m | |||||||
 |  | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — |
 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:39 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 11 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Feels °C | 9 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | NW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SE 13 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | NW 5 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 |
| kJ | 96 | 81 | 42 | 47 | 45 | 20 | 223 | 186 | 80 | 75 | 49 | 27 | 23 | 27 | 30 | 9 | 6 | 39 | 37 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | ESE 13 | SSE 10 | SE 14 | SE 13 | SE 13 | ESE 12 | SSE 10 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SSE 17 | SE 11 | SE 11 |
| kJ | 22 | 41 | 20 | 16 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 33 | 18 | 48 | 44 | 26 | 15 | 18 | 27 | 24 | 29 | 33 | 33 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 17 | NE 15 | E 14 | ESE 8 | NE 13 | NE 13 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | ESE 13 | SSE 17 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | NE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 17 | SE 10 | WNW 4 | ESE 4 |
| kJ | 11 | 8 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 34 | 27 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 29 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 4 | W 5 | W 6 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | NW 7 | W 7 | — | — | NW 6 | W 6 | WNW 6 | W 6 | W 6 | — | SE 4 | SE 12 | E 4 | NE 4 |
| kJ | 12 | 126 | 139 | 138 | 204 | 490 | 320 | — | — | 24 | 149 | 208 | 156 | 101 | — | 17 | 197 | 10 | 3 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 91 | 18 | 18 | 121 | 18 | 9 | 18 | 67 | 56 | 67 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 67 |
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