Best time to surf Māhia Peninsula

The best time to surf at Māhia Peninsula is July–September, with waves of about 1.6 m and water around 13°C.

Māhia Beach, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

Sports: Surfing

Best time to go: July–September

The Māhia Peninsula sticks out into the Pacific at the northern end of Hawke Bay, joined to the mainland by a low sandy isthmus. It is reached from State Highway 2 at Nūhaka, under an hour's drive from Wairoa and about an hour and a half from Gisborne. On the Hawke Bay side of the isthmus lie Blacks Beach, Ōpoutama and the holiday settlement of Māhia Beach, with camping grounds and toilets near the beaches. Mahanga Beach is on the other side of the peninsula, facing the open ocean to the east. Outside the summer holidays the peninsula is remote and quiet.

The Hawke Bay side faces south, so it works best in a south to south-west swell with a north to north-east wind, which blows offshore. Ōpoutama is a long sandy beach with shifting peaks and small, safe waves in southerly swells: the place for learners and families. Blacks, at the western end, is a consistent right-hand reef break with more reef waves around it, best at low tide in a moderate southerly swell; most of the surfing is right below the car park. Mahanga, on the eastern side, has punchy lefts and rights for all levels in an easterly swell.

Blacks is for experienced surfers and strong swimmers only: the reefs are shallow and the beach is not safe for swimming. Take care crossing the narrow, winding road to the car park. Help is far away on this coast, so surf with others. The water is about 12 °C in August and 20 °C in February: a 4/3 in winter, a 3/2 in summer. Wairoa Hospital is about an hour away.

Month by month at Māhia Peninsula

January: 11 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 11 knots, waves 0.6 m, water 20°C, air 21°C (nights 17°C), 27 sunny days, 16 rainy days
February: 7 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 0.6 m, water 20°C, air 22°C (nights 17°C), 24 sunny days, 12 rainy days
March: 9 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 11 knots, waves 0.6 m, water 20°C, air 20°C (nights 15°C), 26 sunny days, 13 rainy days
April: 6 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 1 m, water 18°C, air 19°C (nights 14°C), 24 sunny days, 11 rainy days
May: 8 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 1.1 m, water 16°C, air 16°C (nights 12°C), 24 sunny days, 12 rainy days
June: 9 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 1.4 m, water 14°C, air 15°C (nights 10°C), 21 sunny days, 14 rainy days
July: 9 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 1.6 m, water 13°C, air 14°C (nights 9°C), 21 sunny days, 14 rainy days
August: 8 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 1.6 m, water 12°C, air 14°C (nights 9°C), 23 sunny days, 13 rainy days
September: 7 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 1.5 m, water 13°C, air 16°C (nights 10°C), 26 sunny days, 10 rainy days
October: 8 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 1.3 m, water 15°C, air 18°C (nights 11°C), 27 sunny days, 10 rainy days
November: 7 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 1 m, water 17°C, air 20°C (nights 14°C), 26 sunny days, 13 rainy days
December: 8 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 10 knots, waves 0.8 m, water 20°C, air 22°C (nights 16°C), 27 sunny days, 14 rainy days