Te Araroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Alright, let’s get into it. We’ve got a solid run of surf coming up at Te Araroa, a beach and point setup that’s exposed to the easterly swell. The water’s sitting at 61°F, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing out of the ordinary there.

The week starts off Friday, 3 July, with a clean 6ft easterly swell, period at a nice 12 seconds, and a light cross-offshore breeze from the WNW. This is groundswell, and with that longer period it’ll have some real push and shape, especially on the point. The combined energy is moderate at 780, and with that wind keeping the surface glassy, this is the standout for the entire outlook. The morning session is where you want to be. Friday afternoon the wind swings to a gentle cross-on, and it gets a bit choppy, so don’t expect the same quality.

Saturday, 4 July, the swell holds around 6-6ft, but the wind is more cross or cross-on, putting a bit of a ripple on the surface. It’s surfable, but nothing special. Sunday, 5 July, gets a bit messy with moderate breeze and some rain, and the swell drops to 4ft. Not worth getting excited about. Monday, 6 July, is a write-off for paddling – a fresh cross-onshore with a 10ft NNW swell, short 8-second period, and combined energy over 1100. That’s more of a kite-surfing day, not a paddle session. The swell’s too big and lumpy for most.

Tuesday, 7 July, is a nice little reprieve. The morning brings a clean 3ft easterly swell with glassy conditions – dead calm. Combined energy is weak at 398, but with the wind off, it’ll be a fun little wave for the logs or a longboard. Tuesday afternoon gets a 5ft northerly swell, but it’s short period at 7 seconds, so expect it to be a bit fat and crumbly, though still glassy.

Wednesday, 8 July, starts with a gentle offshore breeze and a 4ft easterly swell at 10 seconds. Clean and fun, but the afternoon gets a strong cross-off breeze that’ll ruin the surface. Thursday, 9 July, has a fresh offshore wind, but the swell is only 3-4ft and the energy is dropping fast. It’s clean but small.

We then hit a real lull from Friday, 10 July right through to early Sunday, 12 July. The swell drops to 2ft-2ft, with weak energy down to 52. It’s clean but barely surfable. That’s a gap of nearly two days with nothing worth paddling out for.

Things change on Sunday, 12 July. The afternoon brings a 6ft SE swell, period 9 seconds, with a moderate offshore wind from the SSW. Combined energy jumps to 579, and the forecast says “very good.” This is your next real standout – clean, decent size, and offshore. Get on it.

Monday and Tuesday hold smaller but clean surf, with the real gem coming on Tuesday afternoon, 14 July. The swell jumps to 6ft from the SE, period a solid 11 seconds, and the wind goes glassy – a slight air from the WNW. Combined energy is strong at 789. That afternoon session is going to be absolutely silky.

Now, the best of the entire outlook is Wednesday morning, 15 July. We’ve got an 8ft ESE groundswell, a long 12-second period, and a gentle cross-offshore breeze. Combined energy is powerful at 1783. It’s going to be big, clean, and powerful – this is for experienced surfers only, as it’s well over the 8ft mark. The point and reef setups will handle the long period better than the beach. This is the top pick if you’ve got the skills.

Wednesday afternoon gets a bit windier, and Thursday, 16 July, is blown out with a strong cross-breeze and lumpy conditions. Friday, 17 July, is a smaller but clean option at 5ft, and then Saturday, 18 July, finishes the run with a big NNW swell of 8ft in the morning, rising to 10ft in the afternoon, with good offshore or light winds. Combined energy over 1000 again, and these are also expert-only waves.

Overall, the first standout is Friday morning, 3 July, for the clean, glassy groundswell. The second is Wednesday morning, 15 July for the big, powerful conditions. Crowds at Te Araroa are listed as “never,” so you should have plenty of room out there.

Rusty.

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