Best time to surf Rapahoe

The best time to surf at Rapahoe is June–August, with waves of about 1.5 m and water around 13°C.

Greymouth, West Coast, New Zealand

Sports: Surfing

Best time to go: June–August

Rapahoe is a small settlement on the coast road about 11 km north of Greymouth, on the South Island's West Coast. The beach runs north from the cliffs of Point Elizabeth, where the Point Elizabeth Walkway leads south along the coast to Cobden. Rapahoe Beach Holiday Park sits right behind the beach; shops, fuel and the region's main hospital are in Greymouth.

The beach is an exposed beach break with lefts and rights, facing west into the Tasman Sea, and has fairly consistent surf all year. It is usually best in a west to west-south-west swell with an easterly to south-easterly wind, which blows offshore; even a light onshore wind spoils it. The tide makes little difference. Strongman Beach, just to the north at Nine Mile, is a sandy beach break that is a little more sheltered, with a left off the rocks at its south end. The lineups are usually quiet.

Rips here are strong and the beach has no lifeguards, so this is a spot for intermediate and experienced surfers; check the rips before paddling out and don't surf alone. The water is about 12 °C in August and 19 °C in February: a 5/4 with boots in winter, a 4/3 or 3/2 in summer.

Month by month at Rapahoe

January: 1 windy day (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 0.6 m, water 19°C, air 21°C (nights 13°C), 27 sunny days, 15 rainy days
February: 2 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 0.6 m, water 19°C, air 20°C (nights 13°C), 23 sunny days, 13 rainy days
March: 1 windy day (15+ knots), average wind 6 knots, waves 0.7 m, water 18°C, air 19°C (nights 11°C), 25 sunny days, 16 rainy days
April: 1 windy day (15+ knots), average wind 6 knots, waves 0.9 m, water 16°C, air 17°C (nights 10°C), 20 sunny days, 16 rainy days
May: 2 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 6 knots, waves 1.1 m, water 15°C, air 15°C (nights 8°C), 18 sunny days, 17 rainy days
June: 2 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 6 knots, waves 1.5 m, water 14°C, air 13°C (nights 6°C), 16 sunny days, 18 rainy days
July: 2 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 6 knots, waves 1.5 m, water 13°C, air 12°C (nights 5°C), 18 sunny days, 18 rainy days
August: 2 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 6 knots, waves 1.6 m, water 12°C, air 13°C (nights 5°C), 21 sunny days, 17 rainy days
September: 6 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 9 knots, waves 1.4 m, water 13°C, air 14°C (nights 7°C), 21 sunny days, 23 rainy days
October: 4 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 1.2 m, water 14°C, air 15°C (nights 8°C), 23 sunny days, 22 rainy days
November: 2 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 0.9 m, water 15°C, air 17°C (nights 10°C), 21 sunny days, 18 rainy days
December: 3 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 0.7 m, water 17°C, air 19°C (nights 12°C), 25 sunny days, 21 rainy days