Te Araroa Surf Break

Lat Long: 37.63° S 178.38° E

Te Araroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 5 pm 06 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Te Araroa sea temperature is
14.6°C
0.1° 

Te Araroa surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Te Araroa surf forecast from 6 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 7 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 8s period, NW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 3PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 8s period, NW swell with 1,147 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 7 Sep, 9PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 8s period with NW 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 Monday (Sep 07) at 9PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.3m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 16s. 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 3.0m 8s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.5m 10s period and expected on Friday (Sep 11) at 6PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 9PM (Mon 7th Sep)7.5ft (2.3m) 8s
Best Surf 9PM (Mon 7th Sep)7.5ft (2.3m) 8s
Most Powerful 3PM (Mon 7th Sep)10ft (3.0m) 8s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Te Araroa over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, let’s break it down.

Right now, the surf is flat or junk for the first few days. You’re looking at a gap of a few days before anything worth paddling out for shows up.

The first real chance comes on Tuesday, September 8th. Te Araroa cleans up with a light cross-offshore breeze. Swell is 6ft from the NNW with an 8-second period, moderate energy (498-524). Water temp is 59°, right on average. It’s clean and rideable, but nothing to get stoked about.

Wednesday, September 9th drops off in size, but stays clean in the morning. Surfable, but pretty ordinary.

The real standout is a week and a half away. Mark Monday, September 21st. That morning, we’ve got an offshore wind, a clean 7ft swell from the ENE with a long 12-second period (groundswell). Combined energy is strong (1299). This is a point break setup, and that long-period groundswell will wrap in beautifully for proper, lined-up waves. The wind holds offshore through the afternoon, with the swell dropping to 6ft but still clean. This is the best day on offer – good size, good direction, and clean. It’s for experienced surfers, not beginners.

Before that, there’s a massive pulse on Friday, September 18th and Saturday, September 19th, with swell heights pushing 13ft to 16ft+ from the NW and NNE. The combined energy is extreme (2386 to 6265), but the forecast says it’s just too big for this break. The wind and tide are favorable, but it’s expert-only and likely a washout for most. The following days (Sept 20-21) drop back into a more manageable range with offshore winds.

So, slow start, a clean but average Tuesday, then a long wait for the real gem on Monday, September 21st. That’s the one to aim for.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Mon morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon morning, min 9°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNW on Mon morning, calm by Tue morning).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu morning, min 8°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds.

Sun
6
Monday
7
Tuesday
8
Wednesday
9
Thursday
10
Friday
11
Saturday
12
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
3
3
3
2
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.3
WNW
5
1.9
NW
6
2.4
NW
7
3
NW
8
2.1
NNW
8
2.1
NNW
9
2.1
NW
9
1.3
NNW
8
0.9
NNW
7
0.7
NNW
7
0.4
NE
8
0.3
NE
14
1.5
WNW
6
1.9
NW
6
0.4
NE
13
0.4
NE
14
0.3
NE
13
0.4
NE
13
0.3
NE
13
0.3
NE
13
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
95
269
590
1147
616
732
760
224
78
42
20
29
143
284
63
48
27
61
27
27
Wind (km/h)
25
WNW
30
NW
35
NW
35
NW
10
WSW
10
W
5
WSW
15
SSW
10
SSE
10
N
15
WNW
25
W
30
WNW
20
W
15
W
15
W
30
W
30
WSW
30
W
25
WSW
Wind State
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
off
cross-off
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
1:59AM1.96m
2:50PM1.99m
3:05AM1.94m
3:58PM2.05m
4:12AM1.93m
4:58PM2.11m
5:15AM1.95m
5:52PM2.15m
6:13AM1.99m
6:41PM2.15m
7:07AM2.04m
7:28PM2.12m
Low Tide
8:05PM0.61m
8:28AM0.49m
9:11PM0.62m
9:32AM0.48m
10:14PM0.58m
10:34AM0.45m
11:16PM0.53m
11:31AM0.43m
00:13AM0.45m
12:26PM0.41m
1:06AM0.39m
1:20PM0.39m
1:55AM0.34m
cloud
light rain
rain showers
light rain
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
cloud
rain showers
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:18
6:18
6:16
6:15
6:13
6:11
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:49
5:50
5:50
5:51
5:52
5:52
5:53
 mm
1
3
3
3
4
Temp °C
15
15
16
16
13
14
14
10
12
12
11
14
14
13
13
13
13
13
14
10
Feels °C
10
10
11
10
11
12
12
6
10
10
7
8
8
7
10
8
7
5
7
4
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Te Araroa:

join our community of surf reporters

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 locationNearest