Te Araroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s coming up for Te Araroa.

First up, the water temp is sitting at 61°, which is about average for this time of year – nothing to write home about, but you won’t need a 5mm steamer just yet.

The next few days are pretty grim. We’ve got a run of small, weak swell and a lot of cross-off or cross-on wind. The wave energy is low, with values like 128 (Tuesday morning) and 82 (Tuesday afternoon) – that’s just weak, gutless stuff. Wednesday is glassy but tiny, with 2ft. Thursday’s morning glass again but only 1ft. Honestly, from Tuesday the 21st right through to Friday the 24th, it’s a dead zone. Don’t even bother paddling out.

Things get a bit more interesting on the weekend, but it’s not great. Saturday the 25th sees a bit of a jump in swell height, up to 4ft, but the wind is a fresh 30 km/h from the west, cross-off. The combined energy is up to 484 (moderate), but the conditions are still rated poor. Sunday the 26th is where it starts to get real. Sunday morning we’ve got glassy conditions with a 3ft swell from the ESE, period a solid 14 seconds, and the wave energy is 607 (moderate). That’s clean and promising for the point. But the standout is Sunday afternoon: a 10ft swell from the NW, with a short period of 8 seconds, and the energy is 1911 (strong). That’s big, beefy, and powerful. With the wind light and cross-off from the SE, the waves will be clean. This is for experienced surfers only – that’s over 8ft, so it’s expert territory. The wave comment says "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers," and I’d agree. This is the best on offer in the whole window.

Monday the 27th keeps it pumping. Morning has 8ft from the ESE, 14-second period, and a solid offshore wind from the south at 25 km/h. The energy is 2398 (very strong). That’s a serious groundswell, and with offshore wind, it’ll be hollow. Same story Monday afternoon: 8ft, 14 seconds, offshore from the SSW at 15 km/h, energy 2244. This is proper, heavy surf. Tuesday the 28th still has 7ft from the ESE, 14 seconds, with light cross-off winds – still excellent for experienced surfers.

After that, the swell backs off a bit but stays solid through the end of the month. The wind turns cross and gets stronger from the 29th onward, making things lumpy and messy. By the 31st, it’s dropping to 6ft with a fresh 35 km/h cross-wind – that’s not fun for surfing, but with that much swell and wind, it might be a kite session.

The first few days of August look small again, but on Sunday the 2nd, we get a nice little clean-up. Sunday morning has 3ft with offshore wind from the SSW, and Sunday afternoon is glassy with 3ft from the SE, 12-second period, energy 223 (weak to moderate). That’s a good little window for a longboard or a fun fish.

Bottom line: The standout is Sunday the 26th of July. The afternoon session is the pick: 10ft from the NW at Te Araroa. It’s a beach and point setup, so that long-period groundswell will wrap around the point nicely. The wind is light cross-off, so it’ll be clean. Crowds are listed as "never," so you might have it all to yourself. This is a big, powerful swell – experts only. Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th are also excellent for the experienced crew.

Stay safe, check the tides, and don’t get caught inside on that Sunday.

Rusty.

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