
Surf Forecasts:
Te Araroa surf forecast from 11 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 19 Sep, 6AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 8s period, N swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 19 Sep, 9AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 8s period, NNE swell with 713 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 6PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 13s period with NE 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 12) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 13s period. 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 2.4m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 19) at 9AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 12s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 13) at 3PM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Sat 19th Sep) | 6ft (1.9m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 9AM (Sat 19th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Te Araroa over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here with a look at Te Araroa over the next couple of weeks.
For now, it’s pretty flat. Nothing worth paddling out for from Saturday the 12th all the way through the morning of Thursday the 17th. That’s a long quiet spell. Most days are either tiny, choppy, or just not worth the effort, even if the look of the ocean is clean.
The first real standout hits on the morning of Saturday the 19th. This is the one to mark. Glassy conditions with a solid 3 yard swell from the NNE, coming in at 8 seconds. The water gets a strong push – combined wave energy is high at 827. That’s a lot of water moving. This is a beginner-friendly break on a consistent beach and point, but at that size, it’s pushing into solid intermediate territory. The wind is glassy, so the surface will be smooth. Saturday afternoon stays clean with a light cross-offshore breeze. This is the best of the forecast.
Sunday the 20th keeps it going. Morning has a 2 yard NNE swell, a 9-second period, and a clean offshore wind from the SSW. Wave energy is high at 795. Still a fun size, still well-groomed by the offshore flow. A bit more manageable than Saturday, but still a big day.
The swell fades into Monday the 21st, dropping to 1.0 yard, but the offshore wind holds through the morning. Clean, but much smaller.
Now, look to Tuesday the 22nd and Wednesday the 23rd. Tuesday morning has a small 1.0 yard east swell with light offshore wind – clean but small. Wednesday the 23rd is the better of those two: a glassy morning with 0.9 yards from the ESE and a nice 11-second period. That longer period gives the waves a bit more push and shape on the point. Combined energy is moderate at 236. For a clean, easy paddle without the crowds, that Wednesday morning glass-off is a nice little window.
After that, the surf drops off again. There’s a bump on Thursday the 24th, but it’s wrecked by strong onshore wind. From the 25th onward, it’s tiny and weak.
So the main call: this weekend and the start of next week is your window. The absolute peak is Saturday the 19th of September – solid 3 yards, glassy, clean. That’s the one. Sunday the 20th is a close second. After that, a few small clean days but nothing with the same power.
Keep your eye on the ocean, and I’ll see you out there.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat morning, min 9°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed afternoon, min 10°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 13 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | N 4 | NNE 4 | ENE 13 | NE 12 | NE 12 | WNW 5 | NE 12 | NE 11 | NW 4 | NW 5 | N 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
61 | 61 | 60 | 41 | 39 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 9 | 9 | 17 | 25 | 23 | 128 | 22 | 20 | 40 | 35 | 76 | 108 | 151 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 7:28PM2.12m | 7:56AM2.07m | 8:15PM2.08m | 8:41AM2.07m | 9:01PM2.04m | 9:26AM2.05m | 9:46PM2.01m | 10:10AM2.01m | 10:28PM1.97m | 10:55AM1.96m | 11:09PM1.92m | 11:41AM1.92m | 11:50PM1.87m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:20PM0.39m | 1:55AM0.34m | 2:11PM0.38m | 2:41AM0.32m | 2:58PM0.40m | 3:24AM0.34m | 3:42PM0.43m | 4:07AM0.38m | 4:24PM0.49m | 4:48AM0.44m | 5:07PM0.57m | 5:28AM0.52m | 5:54PM0.66m | ||||||||
6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | |
— | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:59 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 16 | 19 | 7 |
Temp °C | 15 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 17 | 12 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 |
Feels °C | 11 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | SSE 6 | WNW 7 | W 6 | WNW 6 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | NE 4 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | NE 12 | NE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | N 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 8 |
163 | 96 | 36 | 206 | 78 | 25 | 186 | 94 | 61 | 64 | 40 | 9 | 16 | 12 | 22 | 20 | 12 | 12 | 76 | 108 | 151 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | NE 13 | NE 13 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 9 | WNW 5 | NE 12 | N 4 | NE 11 | ENE 13 | SSE 8 | NE 4 | NE 12 | SSE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 14 | WNW 5 | NE 11 | SE 13 |
27 | 61 | 60 | 135 | 133 | 29 | 5 | 21 | 9 | 5 | 17 | 25 | 5 | 23 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 5 | 18 | 60 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 13 | NE 8 | SE 17 | NE 13 | NE 12 | NE 12 | NE 12 | E 8 | NE 11 | NE 13 | NNE 11 | NE 12 | NE 12 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 9 | SE 11 | SE 10 | S 7 |
61 | 17 | 71 | 41 | 39 | 23 | 23 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 25 | 23 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 19 | 15 | 4 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | SSE 6 | NW 5 | — | S 12 | SSE 7 | — | NW 4 | — | NNE 4 | NE 4 | — | WNW 4 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | WNW 5 | NW 4 | NW 5 | — | SSE 5 | E 4 |
24 | 60 | 22 | — | 930 | 56 | — | 3 | — | 9 | 7 | — | 13 | 128 | 109 | 64 | 40 | 35 | — | 2 | 15 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 6 | 18 | 9 | 399 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 121 | 18 | 67 | 67 | 75 | 75 | 358 | 75 | 116 | 166 | 18 |
Best forecast wave conditions in East Cape | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.










