Surf spot

Whangamata Estuary

Forecast conditions and map view for Whangamata Estuary in New Zealand, New Zealand NI, Coromandel. Open the interactive surf map to inspect wind, waves, and nearby spots.

Country: New Zealand, New Zealand NI, Coromandel
Coordinates: -37.2032, 175.8803

Metric
Metric	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00
Wave height (m)	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.5	0.7	0.8	0.6	0.6	0.8	0.9	0.9	0.8	0.8	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.5
Wave direction	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	ENE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NNE	NNE	NNE	NNE	NNE	NNE	NNE	NE	ENE	E	E	E	ESE	ENE	ENE	ENE	NE	NE	NE
Wave period (s)	8.3	8.4	8.3	8.1	7.9	7.5	10.4	8.6	8.6	9.8	10.3	10.1	9.9	8.1	9.7	10.7	10.9	11.2	11	10.8	10.7	10.5	10.3	10.2	10.2	10.1	9.5	9.9	9.9	9.9	9.9	9.8	9.7	9.4	9.3	9.3	9.4	6.4	4.1	4.5	4.7	4.3	4.2	5.3	5	5.4	5.7	5.5	5.5	4.7	5	5	5.3	6.2	6.5	6.6
Wave energy (kJ)	9	10	9	6	5	3	4	5	4	5	5	5	5	4	5	6	8	8	8	8	9	9	10	10	10	10	9	9	9	8	8	8	6	6	6	6	5	6	6	6	10	17	20	19	20	37	56	49	40	31	25	19	17	21	23	20
Wind speed (km/h)	18.8	17.7	14.5	16.4	18.2	15.8	13.7	9.2	6.4	4.6	5.4	8.2	9.2	11	10.5	11.2	9	8.8	5.8	3.1	6.6	7.5	5.1	9.3	9.2	9.2	7	11	10.9	13.3	9.1	6.1	6.2	4	4.5	4.4	12.4	11.5	12.1	21.4	18.1	14.3	4.1	7.8	12.7	14.8	3.5	2.6	6.4	7.5	13.5	13.8	18.3	17.6	16	16.1
Wind direction	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off	SWCross-off	SWCross	WSWCross-off	WCross-off	WSWCross-off	WSWGlassy	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off	SWCross	SWCross	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off	WSWGlassy	NECross	NECross	NCross-off	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off	WCross-off	WSWCross-off	WCross-off	WCross-off	WOffshore	WGlassy	NNWGlassy	NWGlassy	NNECross-off	NECross	NCross-off	NNECross-off	NCross-off	NNECross-off	WNWGlassy	NWOffshore	NCross-off	NCross-off	NNWGlassy	WNWGlassy	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off	WSWCross-off

Whangamatā Estuary on the Coromandel Peninsula, North Island, New Zealand, is primarily known as a protected, tidal estuary rather than a classic open-ocean surf break. It can still offer small, sheltered waves and is sometimes used by beginners or for casual SUP/longboard sessions when conditions line up.

Spot description

Type: Sheltered estuary / inlet
Wave quality: Usually small and soft, with limited power
Best for: Beginners, longboards, SUP, and learning
Wind sensitivity: Can be affected by wind chop; cleaner on light offshore or calm days
Tide influence: Very tide-dependent, with best shape often around mid tide depending on sandbanks and channels
Crowds: Typically less of a surf crowd than nearby ocean beach breaks
Hazards: Currents, shifting sandbanks, boat traffic in parts of the estuary, and very shallow water at low tide

Overall feel

Whangamatā Estuary is better thought of as a flatwater-to-small-waves practice area than a high-performance surf destination. For real surf, people usually head to the nearby ocean beach breaks around Whangamatā.