Te Araroa Surf Break

Lat Long: 37.63° S 178.38° E

Te Araroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 am 03 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Te Araroa sea temperature is
14.7°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 3 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 5 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 7s period, NW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 8s period, NW swell with 1,336 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 5 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 7s 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 Saturday (Sep 05) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 7s 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 3.0m 8s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.3m 7s period and expected on Friday (Sep 04) at 3PM.

Wave TypeTime (NZST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 9AM (Sat 5th Sep)5ft (1.6m) 7s
Best Surf 9AM (Sat 5th Sep)5ft (1.6m) 7s
Most Powerful 6AM (Mon 7th Sep)10ft (3.0m) 8s

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


The Lowdown

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming our way.

Well, I gotta be straight with you – it’s gonna be a real slow start. The first few days are pretty much a write-off for any decent paddle. We’ve got a lot of onshore and cross-shore winds mushing things up. The water temp is sitting at 59°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Things only start to look a little interesting by the weekend. Saturday morning (5th September) is where we get our first real glimpse of hope at Te Araroa. The swell bumps up a bit to 5ft from the NW, with a short period of 7 seconds – so it’s windswell, not groundswell. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the west (10 mph), which should keep it clean. It’s a consistent, exposed spot, so a few waves will roll through. The combined swell energy is 272, which is moderate. Not a standout by any means, but it’s the best of a pretty quiet first week.

If you’re a beginner, be careful – that 5ft might feel a little punchy. For the intermediate surfer, it’s worth a look.

Now, here’s where it gets a little wild. On Monday morning (7th September), the swell jumps up to a chunky 10ft from the NW, with a period of 9 seconds. That’s serious power – the combined energy is 1179, which is strong to very strong. But, the wind is a fresh cross-onshore from the NW at 22 mph, so it’s gonna be a lumpy mess. That one’s only for the experts, if anyone bothers. The afternoon cleans up nicely though – the wind whips around to a cross-offshore SSE at 19 mph, and the swell drops to a still solid 8ft. That’s a big wave for Te Araroa, but the conditions are marginal with those tides. If you’re an experienced charger, that Monday afternoon window is the one to keep an eye on.

There’s a big gap after that. The rest of the first week and most of the second week are tiny and pretty poor, with barely any swell and messy winds. You’ll be looking at flat spells for days on end.

Then, right at the tail end of the forecast, we get a proper standout. On Friday morning (18th September), a solid SE groundswell rolls in. We’re looking at 5ft of swell from the SE with a long period of 13 seconds. That’s proper groundswell. The combined energy is 585, which is strong. The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the south at 12 mph. This setup – long period, offshore wind, and a cross-off angle – is prime for Te Araroa’s point. The waves will be well-shaped, with nice long lines, but expect longer gaps between sets. It’s a promising one, but it’s a long way out, so don’t set your watch by it just yet.

So, to sum it up: our best bets are a clean but average Saturday morning (5th), a big, gnarly Monday afternoon (7th) for the brave, and a potentially epic late-arriving swell on Friday the 18th. Keep the 18th pencilled in.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Some drizzle, heaviest during Fri night. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu morning, min 9°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NW on Fri afternoon, light winds from the NW by Sat morning).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Mon morning. Very mild (max 16°C on Sun night, min 9°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NW on Sun night, calm by Mon night).

Thursday
3
Friday
4
Saturday
5
Sunday
6
Monday
7
Tuesday
8
Wednesday
9
AM
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
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
1
0
1
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)
0.2
ENE
11
0.2
ENE
11
1.3
WNW
6
1.7
WNW
6
0.2
ENE
10
0.2
ENE
10
1.6
NW
7
0.2
ENE
10
0.2
ENE
10
1.2
WNW
6
1.4
NW
5
2.5
NW
7
3
NW
9
2.5
NW
9
1.7
NNW
9
1.3
NNW
8
1
N
8
0.6
NW
8
0.6
NE
7
1.6
WNW
5
0.3
NE
7
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
11
11
112
191
10
10
261
10
9
90
115
604
1172
1042
465
223
111
48
42
130
8
Wind (km/h)
15
W
25
WNW
20
WNW
25
WNW
30
NW
20
W
10
W
10
WNW
20
W
20
WNW
25
NW
40
NW
35
NW
30
SSE
15
SSE
10
NNW
25
NW
10
WSW
10
NW
30
WNW
20
W
Wind State
cross-off
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
High Tide
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
3:05AM1.94m
3:58PM2.05m
4:12AM1.93m
4:58PM2.11m
Low Tide
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
9:32AM0.48m
10:14PM0.58m
10:34AM0.45m
11:16PM0.53m
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
light rain
mod rain
light rain
part cloud
cloud
cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:24
6:24
6:22
6:20
6:18
6:18
6:16
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:45
5:46
5:47
5:49
5:50
5:50
5:51
 mm
1
4
7
2
Temp °C
16
16
13
16
15
15
14
14
12
14
14
16
16
12
10
13
14
12
15
15
11
Feels °C
11
11
9
11
9
10
11
11
8
9
8
9
14
6
5
8
10
9
10
9
7
  • 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