Best time to surf Aramoana

The best time to surf at Aramoana is June–September, with waves of about 1.5 m and water around 11°C.

Port Chalmers, Otago (Dunedin), New Zealand

Sports: Surfing

Best time to go: June–September

Aramoana is a small settlement at the northern head of Otago Harbour, about 25 km north-east of Dunedin and some 40 minutes' drive away via Port Chalmers (State Highway 88, then Aramoana Road). The ocean beach faces the Pacific, with cliffs at its northern end and the Domain car park behind it. To the south, the Aramoana Mole, a breakwater about 1 km long, separates the beach from the sandy spit, Shelly Beach, at the harbour entrance, with salt marshes and a walking track behind. There are no shops: Port Chalmers has cafés.

The surf is a beach break over sand with lefts and rights, mostly from groundswell. It works best in a north-east swell, with a window from north-east to south-east, and an offshore south-westerly wind; even a light onshore spoils it. It can work on all tides, though low to mid tide on a rising tide is often best. Clean days are most common in winter, around August, and it is rarely crowded.

The beach is unpatrolled and not considered safe for swimming, and sharks have been sighted. The harbour entrance beyond the mole is a shipping channel, so stay on the ocean beach. Small days can suit learners with some experience; bigger swells are for intermediate surfers and up. Seals, seabirds and penguins live along this coast: give them space. The water is about 10 °C in August and 15 °C in February: a 5/4 with boots, gloves and a hood in winter, a 4/3 in summer.

Month by month at Aramoana

January: 8 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 0.6 m, water 15°C, air 18°C (nights 12°C), 25 sunny days, 12 rainy days
February: 6 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 0.7 m, water 15°C, air 18°C (nights 12°C), 22 sunny days, 10 rainy days
March: 7 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 0.7 m, water 15°C, air 17°C (nights 11°C), 23 sunny days, 13 rainy days
April: 6 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 1 m, water 14°C, air 15°C (nights 9°C), 22 sunny days, 12 rainy days
May: 6 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 1.3 m, water 13°C, air 13°C (nights 7°C), 21 sunny days, 9 rainy days
June: 6 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 1.4 m, water 11°C, air 11°C (nights 5°C), 18 sunny days, 12 rainy days
July: 7 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 1.5 m, water 11°C, air 10°C (nights 5°C), 17 sunny days, 10 rainy days
August: 5 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 1.5 m, water 10°C, air 11°C (nights 5°C), 22 sunny days, 11 rainy days
September: 9 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 1.4 m, water 11°C, air 13°C (nights 6°C), 25 sunny days, 14 rainy days
October: 8 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 1.1 m, water 11°C, air 15°C (nights 7°C), 26 sunny days, 16 rainy days
November: 7 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 1 m, water 12°C, air 16°C (nights 9°C), 24 sunny days, 13 rainy days
December: 8 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 0.8 m, water 14°C, air 17°C (nights 11°C), 23 sunny days, 20 rainy days