
Surf Forecasts:
Tuhawaiki Point surf forecast from 5 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 8 Jul, 6AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 11s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 7 Jul, 3AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 8s period, SSE swell with 949 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 7 Jul, 6PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 7s period with ESE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Tuhawaiki Point this week:
The surf forecast for Tuhawaiki Point over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 07) at 6PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Tuhawaiki Point in the next 16 days are 2.5m 8s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 07) at 3AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 09) at 3AM.
| Wave Type | Time (NZST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6PM (Tue 7th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Wed 8th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 3AM (Tue 7th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tuhawaiki Point over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about Tuhawaiki Point (New Zealand).
Honestly, looking at the whole 16-day run, things aren't looking great for a proper surf. There’s no real standout session in the first week; the wind is just too messy most of the time. We’re looking at a lot of blown-out, average days with a few half-decent windows that might give you a couple of rides if you're desperate.
Let’s start with what’s on offer. For the morning of July 5th, we’ve got a small 2ft easterly swell, with a modest period of 11 seconds. It's surfable, but only just. The combined energy is weak at 117. The water is sitting at 50°, which is about average for the time of year. The light WSW cross-off breeze will keep it tidy enough, but it’s not going to get the heart racing.
It doesn’t get any better for a while. July 6th through the 9th sees bigger swell pushing in, but the wind is howling from the south-southwest, solidly in the strong breeze range. That’s going to make a mess of it. On Monday the 6th, we get a 6ft swell from the SE getting up to a moderate energy of 534, but with 28 mph winds, it’s a write-off for a paddle. That kind of setup with strong onshore winds on what’s mostly a beach setup? Honestly, that looks more interesting for kite surfing than a proper surf session.
We finally get a bit of a breather on the morning of Friday, July 10th. It’s not big – 4ft from the ESE with a 10-second period – but the wind swings light from the SW, keeping it clean. The combined energy is moderate at 414. It’s not a world-beater, but it’s the first decent-looking window. Saturday the 11th and Sunday the 12th mornings look similar, with light offshore winds and clean 3ft wave faces. The energy drops back to weak, though.
After that, it gets pretty marginal again through the second week. We see some clean mornings on the 13th and 17th of July with small, clean waves, but nothing with any real punch. On July 17th, Friday morning has a 4ft swell from the SSE with a short 7-second period – that’s going to be weak and wobbley, even if it is clean with light offshore winds.
Look, if you’re jonesing for a paddle, Friday, July 10th morning is your best bet. It’s small but clean, and you won’t be fighting the wind. It’s not going to be epic, but it’s as good as it gets in this outlook. Keep your expectations low.
That’s the story from here. Expect a few average sessions with a couple of okay windows.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 36mm), heaviest during Sun night. Mild temperatures (max 8°C on Sun morning, min 4°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Sun night, calm by Tue night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Mild temperatures (max 9°C on Wed morning, min 5°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Wed afternoon, light winds from the SW by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 11 | E 10 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | E 12 | E 11 | SE 7 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
116 | 71 | 110 | 505 | 586 | 375 | 587 | 122 | 57 | 271 | 510 | 155 | 400 | 433 | 377 | 306 | 240 | 200 | 170 | 170 | 141 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy |
High Tide | 7:20PM2.00m | 7:38AM1.99m | 8:07PM1.98m | 8:26AM2.01m | 8:53PM1.98m | 9:19AM2.05m | 9:40PM2.01m | 10:17AM2.10m | 10:32PM2.07m | 11:16AM2.18m | 11:29PM2.17m | 12:12PM2.27m | 00:28AM2.28m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:19PM0.73m | 1:34AM0.81m | 2:03PM0.68m | 2:20AM0.78m | 2:45PM0.66m | 3:08AM0.72m | 3:32PM0.67m | 3:58AM0.67m | 4:26PM0.70m | 4:49AM0.63m | 5:28PM0.71m | 5:43AM0.62m | 6:27PM0.68m | ||||||||
8:11 | — | — | 8:11 | — | — | 8:10 | — | — | 8:10 | — | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:08 | — | — | |
— | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:10 | — | — | 5:12 | — | |
mm | 2 | 1 | 23 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 8 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
Feels °C | 5 | -3 | -2 | -4 | -2 | -2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | E 10 | SE 8 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | SE 8 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | E 12 | E 11 | E 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 |
116 | 71 | 110 | 29 | 70 | 41 | 227 | 122 | 57 | 271 | 510 | 155 | 400 | 433 | 377 | 306 | 240 | 200 | 170 | 170 | 141 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 4 | S 15 | E 10 | — | — | — | ESE 11 | E 9 | E 9 | SE 13 | S 17 | S 15 | SSE 14 | SSE 19 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 | SE 10 | SSE 17 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 |
1 | 4 | 46 | — | — | — | 23 | 41 | 57 | 7 | 50 | 113 | 20 | 115 | 56 | 25 | 24 | 4 | 29 | 25 | 24 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | — | SE 19 | — | — | — | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | S 18 | — | — | S 19 | — | S 17 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 | SE 15 | SE 9 | SSE 16 | SSE 16 |
5 | — | 14 | — | — | — | 21 | 20 | 17 | 6 | — | — | 29 | — | 140 | 83 | 48 | 8 | 3 | 85 | 48 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSW 4 | WSW 3 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | — | — | SE 6 | ESE 12 | SE 7 | — | SSE 19 | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 2 | — |
— | 17 | 7 | 505 | 586 | 375 | 587 | — | — | 36 | 404 | 149 | — | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 166 | 166 | 155 | 141 | 151 | 87 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 155 | 141 | 141 | 107 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Canterbury | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Tuhawaiki Point Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Tuhawaiki Point provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Tuhawaiki Point can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Tuhawaiki Point 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 (Tuhawaiki Point) 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 Tuhawaiki Point 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.
Tuhawaiki Point is 5 km (3 miles) from the city of Timaru. If you plan a holiday in Canterbury, look for hotels and other accommodation in Timaru. Timaru has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










