Te Araroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me break this down for you.

First up, we’re looking at Te Araroa. This is a beach and point setup, and it’s consistent, so it usually has something going on. But I gotta tell ya, the next two weeks are a real mixed bag, and mostly a struggle. There’s a big gap of real poor conditions right at the start, so don’t get your hopes up for the first few days.

We kick off on Monday the 31st of August. The afternoon is clear, but a strong 25 mph west wind is blowing cross-off, making it tough. There’s a tiny 1ft swell from the north-northeast, with a period of 10 seconds, but the combined swell energy is a weak 32. Water temp is about 59°, which is pretty normal for this time of year. Honestly, it’s poor surf.

Tuesday the 1st of September, the morning looks a little better. The wind swings to the southwest at 9 mph, going offshore, and the swell ticks up to 2ft from the northeast. Still a 10-second period, and combined energy is 48. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. The afternoon goes glassy with a southeast breeze, but there’s no swell at all that afternoon – total flat spell.

Wednesday the 2nd, Thursday the 3rd, and Friday the 4th are all poor. Small windswell, messy winds, and just not worth paddling out. Friday the 4th does see a bump in size – 6ft on the morning from the west-northwest, but the period is a short 6 seconds, and the wind is a fresh northwest cross-shore, creating lumpy junk. The afternoon is even bigger at 8ft from the northwest, with the combined energy hitting 502 (strong), but that same messy wind ruins it. That’s a kite-surfing setup, not a paddler’s wave.

Saturday the 5th of September starts dead flat again with glassy conditions. The afternoon brings a 4ft northwest swell, but it’s onshore wind and a marginal tide. Not worth it.

Sunday the 6th, Monday the 7th, and Tuesday the 8th are all poor to flat. The swell is tiny, the wind is cross or onshore, and there’s nothing to get excited about.

We finally see a real pulse building towards the end of the second week. On Saturday the 12th of September, the morning brings a 5ft swell from the southeast, period of 10 seconds, and combined energy of 482 (strong). The wind is a gentle east-southeast cross-shore, so it’s clean but a bit sloppy. The afternoon stays clean with a 5ft southeast swell and a moderate cross-off breeze. It’s still marginal, but this is the best looking stretch in the whole window.

Sunday the 13th and Monday the 14th keep that southeast swell going, but it drops from 4ft down to 2ft, with clean winds and moderate energy. The wave state is clean, but the swell is fading.

Tuesday the 15th of September sees the swell drop to 0.7ft from the north-northeast, period 11 seconds. The afternoon is glassy – a beautiful window, but almost no waves.

For the standout, I’d highlight Te Araroa itself for the Saturday the 12th of September. The southeast swell offers the best size and energy in the whole 16 days, with swell direction from the southeast at 5ft, and the wind is a gentle cross-shore, keeping things relatively clean. The combined energy is 482, which is strong. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best on offer. It’s a consistent spot, so it’s always ready to go, and crowds are never a problem here. The only downside is the swell period is only 10 seconds, so it’s not a long-period groundswell, but it’s still better than the rest.

Any other days are just a waiting game. The forecast is poor for the first week, and the second week only has that one solid window. It’s one of those runs where you have to be patient.

Rusty.

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