New Zealand

Where to surf in New Zealand

New Zealand sits at the bottom of the Ring of Fire, representing the 10th longest coastline in the world, offering 15,134km of Pacific wave-breaking rock and sand. After splitting off Australia, sinking then being thrust up by volcanic activity between the Earth’s tectonic plates, New Zealand offers a unique surfing opportunity over a variety of points, reef, beaches and rivermouths in the temperate, stormy waters of the South Pacific.

Swell is possible from a full 360º window that is flung wide open to anything from the Southern Ocean, but NZ is also tickled by Pacific swells out of the N and E. This means there is virtually no waveless coastline and if it's flat where you are, chances are there is surf on the other side of the island, which is sometimes within a few hours drive, depending on your location. The seasonal temperature variation between Northland and Southland can be colossal, which isn't surprising, considering it is 1600km (1000mi) from tip to tail and between these two extremities lie a real pick'n'mix choice of surf zones all with their individual local flavour in the long thin candy store.

Beachbreaks, rivermouths, pointbreaks and reefbreaks can be found in virtually every zone, breaking over volcanic rock, smooth boulders, white sand or black sand, creating numerous combinations and possibilities around the wave battered islands. Surfing has been on the agenda since the Duke demonstrated in the 1940s and '50s.

North Island

The most populated region of NZ is Northland and Auckland with the bulk of the city’s inner beaches left for the kite crew while surfers hit the rare breaks on the North Shore or maybe even ferry across to Waiheke Island.

The Coromandel Peninsula is a veritable feast of perfect mountain-backed bays and a heavy sprinkling of islands, all exposed to swell from NNW to SE. North-facing Fletcher Bay is shadowed by Great Barrier Island, but the beachies of Waikawau Bay or Matarangi, the reef at Kuaotunu and the shorie barrels of Otama are less compromised by the Mercury Islands. The east coast of the Coromandel shelves steeply and shapes barrels aplenty at Hot Water Beach, Tairua and popular summer surf town Whangamata, where the fickle rivermouth left gets epic.

Bay of Plenty is well named with 200kms of broad golden sands from E-facing Waihi to NW oriented Cape Runaway Beach where peaks and rivermouth bars offer plenty of wind options. Highlights include restricted access Matakana Island, Mount Maunganui (despite the failed artificial reef), swell-sucking Newdicks, elusive Whakatane Heads rights and a dozen more shifty beachbreaks around to the Motu river delta in N flavour swells.

Gisborne is the east coast Kiwi surfers town with ample swell window and a multi-aspect coastline, peppered with quality breaks. Exactly the same can be said for the Mahia Peninsula a mere 40km south and separated by a wild, mountainous coast that's hard to scope as the highway heads inland at Wharerata.

Endless driftwood strewn, black sand beachbreak encircles Hawkes Bay and there are some fine rivermouth bars at Wairoa and Mohaka. Napier’s best breaks are at Stingray Bay or Clive Rivermouth and the quality continues at Haumoana and Te Awanga mouths.

Out of the bay and back in the full swell window, Ocean Beach gets big and unruly, Waimarama has more protection at the south end which is close to the challenging lefts of Cray Bay.

The Wairarapa starts with the right reefs at Aramoana and Blackhead before heading into the wilds where some heavy waves on both the east and south coasts can be found. Crowds dissolve into the rural hinterland and big arcing beaches like Porongahau, Herbertsville and Akitio, are punctured by rivers, providing empty surf in NW winds.

On Wellington's east coast The Gap at Castlepoint is encircled by cliffs, offering unrivalled protection from onshores. Heading toward Cape Palliser, the mountainous landscape hides some epic reefs at Tora where a number of sucky, powerful and long rights roll into the stream mouth beside surfer-filled free-camps.

Around the cape on the south coast a concentration of west-facing reefs welcome competent surfers to try the muscular walls at Craps, Little Ning Nongs, Raspberries and Dee Dees. More lefts hug the rocky shore at Whatarangi on big days and into Palliser Bay there's a sucky shingle peak when the lake entrance is open and a sandy point in the western corner.

Wainuiomata lefts get epic and are the first of a series that are biggest at Pencarrow Head then peel across shingle bars at various points all the way into Wellington Harbour at Eastbourne.

The city beaches rely on SE-S swell squeaking through the narrow gap, hitting rocky spots like Breaker Bay, Propellers and Rat Island for the rippers and below average beachies for everyone at Wellington’s surf central Lyall Bay or Houghton Bay.

The NW-facing coast needs big NW to get around the top of the South Island and the W winds to back off, so it’s very inconsistent. Top spot is Titahi Bay with lefts in the southern corner tucked out of the S winds, as are Wairaka and Pukerua, where high tide lefts appear in big NW seas.

Small, mushy, empty beachbreak is the norm for Paekakariki, Waikane and then along an impressively long curve of ashen sand and dunes all the way up to the Taranaki zone. A shallow shelving profile and lack of swell exposure promotes this area as a longboard SUP playground. Head for the rivermouths at Hokio, Himatangi or Kotiata and increased W-SW swell exposure up towards Whanganui and its jetty breaks.

South Island

The east coast of the South Island is fairly well surfed from Kaikoura to Christchurch in North Canterbury.

The South Canterbury Bight is featureless shorepound, except at rivermouths like Rakaia or the right points in Timaru. Check Oamaru or Kakanui has a right point bowling into rivermouth peaks.

The points and pocket beaches resume in the chilly waters of Otago and Southland.

Between Otago and Southland lies The Catlins, a wild, scenic coastline with opportunities to ride both nuggety rocky points and endless golden sands, visited by fur seals and penguins.

The South Coastal Track winds through fabulous Fiordland which signals the end of surfable coastline as the sea-flooded valleys and sounds meet the majestic Southern Alps. Go snowboarding instead.

Beyond the many glaciers and frigid rivermouths of the West Coast region, Greymouth has waves on both sides of the river jetty and a sheltered right between them.

Punakaiki River and Blowhole are regularly ridden amongst the pancake rocks. Westport Jetty has juicy peaks on either side and a sweet righthander deep inside the rivermouth on NW swells. Multiple rivermouths sculpt the bars up to Mokihinui and Little Wanganui with powerful lefts and rights that are often rip-torn. Karamea continues the theme with wide, estuary-fed sandbars.

Head north into Tasman where the less-shifty lefts of Anatori Beach and its adjacent pretty peaks attract the campervan crew. Finally, Paturau River feeds more triangulated banks that are at their best in rarer NW swells.