Motunau Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Canterbury, New Zealand)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 12 Day Forecast
Maps
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Weather State
Spot Information

Photo by: Olly Hansen

Motunau Beach Surf Guide

Motunau Beach in Kaikoura is an exposed beach and point break that has pretty consitent surf, although summer tends to be mostly flat. Ideal winds are from the north northeast. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the ideal swell direction is from the south southeast. The beach breaks offer lefts and rights and there is also a left hand point break. Best around high tide. It very rarely gets crowded here. Take care of rocks and private access.

Motunau Beach Spot Info

Type:	Rating:
Beach and point	3
Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
fairly consistent	63°F*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Motunau Beach:

The best conditions reported for surf at Motunau Beach occur when a South-southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the North-northeast.

Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

12 Day Forecast

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

marchBest Season: autumn

The best time of year for surfing Motunau Beach with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Autumn and most often the month of March. Clean surfable waves are typically found 32% of the time in March while 31% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 37% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

32%

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

blown out

31%

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

too small

37%

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

Explore Motunau Beach Location Map

Interactive Motunau Beach 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 Motunau Beach is Christchurch International Airport (CHC) in New Zealand, 65 km (40 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Motunau Beach is Hokitika Airport (HKK), also in New Zealand, 174 km (108 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (ft)
Live Wind Speed (mph)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (ft)
Wind Speed (mph)

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

Motunau Beach Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

12 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Thursday, 27 March 2025, 16:42 Local Time

m, °C	Thursday 27			Fri
ft, °F	4PM	7PM	10PM	1AM
Wave (ft)	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE
Period (s)	16	16	16	16
Wind (mph)
Wind State	cross- on	on	cross- on	cross- on

What does Motunau Beach look like?

Latest photos from Motunau Beach. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Olly Hansen

Tides at Motunau Beach

Current tide and informaton

For Fields, 1 miles from Motunau Beach.

Next High Water: 04:05am | 6ft

Next Low Water: 09:46pm | 0ft

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

Motunau Beach Sea Temperature

The water temperature (17.1 °C) at Motunau Beach is relatively warm. If the sun does come out as forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a summer wetsuit. Effective air temperature of 19.0 °C.

Today, many surfers would wear a summer wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 63°F*ocean temperature recorded from satellite