Te Araroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's chew the fat on what Te Araroa is serving up over the next couple of weeks.

It's a slow cooker, but there's a solid opening window of clean, smaller surf. The real standout is the first day, so don't be a goose and miss it. After that, we're in for a moody ocean before maybe, just maybe, a big one shows up way down the line.

The First Call

The best bet is *Sunday morning, July 19th* at Te Araroa. We're looking at a 4ft swell from the SE, with a solid 13-second period behind it. That's a proper groundswell with some real grunt. The combined energy is moderate at 509, and the real kicker is the light cross-offshore breeze from the WSW at 6 mph. The water is sitting at 61°F and it's about 2°F warmer than usual for this time of year, which is a nice little bonus. Expect very good surf. The glass-off on Sunday afternoon is something to be keen on too, with zero wind and 4ft of the same SE swell. It won't be as punchy, but it'll be smooth as silk.

The Rest of the Week

Monday (July 20th) sees the swell drop right back to under 3ft, and the wind picks up from the south, making it a bit messy. Tuesday and Wednesday are similar – small, clean enough but pretty ordinary, with the swell energy dropping right down. Thursday and Friday get a bit weird... a tiny bit of swell on Thursday but with onshore winds, and then Friday the 24th brings a lumpy, short-period windswell from the NW that's just not worth it. There's a few days gap there with nothing really to recommend.

Second Week Hopes

The second week stays pretty quiet. You'll see a pulse of long-period swell on the 26th (Sunday) and 27th (Monday) from the SE, with a period of 16 and 15 seconds. That's deep ocean energy, but the swell height is only 2ft, and it's getting hammered by a strong 19-22 mph offshore wind. It'll be clean, but it'll be a struggle. The combined energy is moderate (around 248 and 220), but it's more of a blown-out, choppy mess than a session.

The story changes dramatically as we head into the first week of August. From the 30th of July through to the 2nd of August, we get a building, then very large, NW swell. The problem is the wind – it's a disaster. Strong onshore and cross-shore winds, rain, and even a risk of thunderstorms make it impossible. Check out the morning of August 2nd – a massive 12ft NW swell with a crazy 1799 combined energy, but it's way too big for this spot. The file says it's too big for the break. That's a miss for us, but it might be a sight to see.

Final Word

So, the window is tight. Sunday the 19th is your day. Don't miss it. The rest of the run is a write-off until maybe the very end, and that's a big maybe. It's a bit of a bummer, but that's winter for you.

Rusty.

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