The Fences Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Wanganui and the Manawatu, New Zealand)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
Maps
Live
Weather State
Spot Information

The Fences Surf Guide

TheFences in Wanganui-Manawatu is a fairly exposed reef break that has quite reliable surf and can work at any time of the year. Works best in offshore winds from the northeast. Waves just as likely from local windswells as from distant groundswells and the optimum swell angle is from the west. There is a right hand reef break. Best around mid tide. It very rarely gets crowded here.

The Fences Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef	4	fairly consistent	16.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing The Fences:

The best conditions reported for surf at The Fences occur when a West swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf The Fences (for consistent clean waves)?

augustBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing The Fences with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of August. Clean surfable waves are typically found 8% of the time in August while 45% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 47% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

45%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

47%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore The Fences Location Map

Interactive The Fences surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to TheFences is Wanganui Airport (WAG) in New Zealand, 31 km (19 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to TheFences is Palmerston North Airport (PMR), also in New Zealand, 94 km (58 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

The Fences Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 00:47 Local Time

m, °C	Tue	Wednesday 06
ft, °F	9PM	0AM	3AM	6AM
Wave (m)	WSW	WSW	WSW	S
Period (s)	14	14	13	18
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- off	off	cross- off	cross- off

What does The Fences look like?

Latest photos from The Fences. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Bryan Winters Credit: Allen Pidwell Credit: Nephi Tehei

Tides at The Fences

Current tide and informaton

For Nukumaru Rock, 1 km from The Fences.

Next High Water: 12:28pm | 2.16m

Next Low Water: 06:16am | 0.45m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

The Fences Sea Temperature

The water temperature (16.2 °C) at The Fences is quite cool. If the sun does come out as forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good sealed spring wetsuit. Some surfers would prefer to wear gloves and boots too. Effective windchill factor of (14.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit, neoprene gloves and boots.

Current Temp*: 16.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

View Sea Temp Map

Swell History at The Fences

Surf stats for The Fences, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Average Swell

View Swell Statistics

Wind History at The Fences

Wind stats for The Fences, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.

Average Wind

View Wind Statistics

The Fences Reviews:

Interactive Porthcawl Point location map. View nearby buoy information, live wind conditions and surrounding roads, paths and locations to help find new breaks. Click the buoys or wind icon to view more information.

Ratings

Based on 2 votes.

Overall:4.0
Quality on a good day:4.0
Consistency of Surf:3.0
Crowds:4.0
...

See all 18 ratings

Review

Impartial reviews submitted by Surf-Forecast users.

Brent from New Zealand

“Good when solid ground swell wrapping round down Nukumaru. Wave gets flat and long walk back”

Other Nearby Breaks Closest To:

Discover surf breaks near The Fences. Click below to view there surf guides.