Wainui Beach

Best Surf Season (April - July)

The change of season from autumn into winter is when Wainui Beach finds its rhythm. As Southern Ocean storms grow more organized and low-pressure systems parade across the Tasman Sea, average wave heights climb from around 6ft (1.8m) to 7ft (2.1m) and swell periods push into the 10.7 to 11.0 second bracket. At the same time, the prevailing wind flow becomes increasingly westerly, with the NW-NNW quadrant taking charge. That is the perfect recipe at this east-southeast facing beach: raw, long-period E to SSE groundswell meeting an offshore wind that grooms it into clean, rippable walls. May and June are especially consistent, with ideal wind frequencies hitting 54 percent - about as good as it gets on this coast.