Te Araroa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, lookin’ at the run ahead at Te Araroa.

Straight up, the next week or so is a bit of a mixed bag, but there’s some serious potential if you’re patient and know what you’re doing. We’re starting off with a slow patch. Monday the 13th and Tuesday the 14th are pretty ordinary – small, messy, and not worth paddling out for. The water temp is sitting at 61°, which is about a degree and a half warmer than usual for this time of year, so it’s a bit of a nice surprise on that front, but the surf just isn’t there.

Wednesday the 15th looks a bit cleaner but still small and weak, with a combined swell energy of only 195. Not enough to get excited about.

Now, the first real standout hits on Thursday the 16th. Early morning you might see a small 2 ft ESE groundswell, but the afternoon is where it gets interesting – a powerful 3 ft ESE swell, but with a very long period of 18 seconds. That’s pushing some serious energy, with the combined swell energy hitting 516. The wind is light and clean out of the west, so it’ll be tidy. However, that long period groundswell can make beach breaks a bit wonky – tends to break too straight – but at a point break setup like Te Araroa, it’ll be wrapping in nicely. For the experienced crew, this is a promising window.

The big one, the real highlight, is Friday the 17th. We’re looking at a 5 ft ESE swell, long 15-second period, and a combined energy that’s pumping at 1207. The wind is almost nothing at 5 km/h out of the WSW, making it cross-off and glassy clean. This is the call for experienced surfers – it’s definitely too big for beginners at over 5 ft, but if you’ve got the skills, this is peak Te Araroa. The morning is where it’s at, with excellent conditions listed.

Saturday the 18th is still solid, with a 5 ft to 5 ft SE swell, 14-second period, and clean cross-off winds. Energy is still high around 1031 in the morning and 890 in the afternoon. It’s not quite the standout Friday is, but it’s still very good.

Sunday the 19th drops off to a cleaner 3 ft swell, and the afternoon goes glassy with light WSW winds. Good for a relaxed session if you’re hanging around.

From Monday the 20th onwards, it gets bleak. There’s a long stretch of small, weak swell with energy readings barely hitting 200, and winds pick up strong from the southeast, bringing rain and choppy conditions. A few days in the middle of the week, like Wednesday the 22nd, have strong offshore winds but only tiny 2 ft surf – hard work for not much reward. This quiet spell runs all the way through to the end of the 16-day window, with only a brief, very ordinary bump on Tuesday the 28th from a short-period NNW windswell. Nothing worth chasing in that second week.

So, if you’re keen, lock in Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th. Friday morning especially – that’s the one you’ll remember.

Rusty.

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