New Zealand is one of surfing’s great uncrowded frontiers. With over 15,000 kilometres of coastline exposed to swell from almost every direction, Aotearoa packs world-class waves, few surfers and jaw-dropping scenery into a compact, road-trip-friendly country. It’s above all a goofy-footer’s paradise: Raglan’s black-sand points form one of the longest, best left-hand breaks on the planet, and there’s more where that came from, from the secret reefs of Taranaki to the far-north lefts of Shipwreck Bay and the cold, wild points of the South Island. The water’s chilly and it’s not cheap, but few places reward the effort like this. It sits high on our guide to the world’s best places to surf. Here’s New Zealand, region by region, plus when to go and what to pack.
Which New Zealand wave suits you?
Three quick questions to match you with a Kiwi break, from friendly black-sand beaches to world-class left points.
Quick surf guide to New Zealand
- Best season: the west coast points are best autumn to spring (March to October); summer suits the east coast and beginners; the South Island works year-round
- Best for beginners: Ngarunui Beach (Raglan), Mount Maunganui, Fitzroy Beach
- Best for advanced: Manu Bay, Indicators, Stent Road, Aramoana
- Water temp: 14 to 20°C on the North Island (3/2 to 4/3); 8 to 15°C on the South Island (4/3 to 5/4 with booties and hood)
- Gateways: Auckland (AKL) for Raglan and Piha, New Plymouth (NPL) for Taranaki, Gisborne (GIS), Christchurch/Dunedin for the South Island
- Budget: $90 to $150 a day, New Zealand is not cheap
Where to surf in New Zealand
New Zealand’s two islands catch swell from every angle, so there’s almost always something breaking somewhere. We’ve broken the country into five regions. Tap a marker to preview a spot, then click its name to jump straight to it below.
Raglan
Two hours south of Auckland on the wild west coast, Raglan is New Zealand’s most famous surf town and home to one of the longest, best left-hand point breaks on the planet: a chain of black-sand points that peel for hundreds of metres. A laid-back, arty town and a goofy-footer’s dream.
Manu Bay
The wave that starred in The Endless Summer, Manu Bay (The Point) is a long, mechanical left that reels down a boulder point in immaculate lines when a solid SW swell and a SE wind align, giving rides of hundreds of metres. It’s the heart of the Raglan point system and a bucket-list left for goofy-footers. Rocky entry, a committed local crew, and no dropping in.
Whale Bay
Just around from Manu Bay, Whale Bay is another quality left point that peels over rock and links with the wider Raglan setup on the right swell, often a touch less crowded than its famous neighbour, so it can give intermediates more wave-riding opportunities. Longer-period swells wrap in beautifully. Access is down through the pohutukawa trees to a rocky shelf, so time your entry.
Indicators
The outermost, longest and most critical of the Raglan points, Indicators picks up the most swell and starts with a heavy take-off that can morph into a hollow barrel before a long walling run. On a big, clean day it will occasionally link through Whale Bay and even Manu Bay for close to a two-kilometre ride, though joining the whole journey is rare and magic. Serious size and skill required.
Ngarunui Beach
Raglan’s beginner beach (Ocean Beach), a long stretch of black sand with forgiving, rolling whitewater, a summer lifeguard patrol and the town’s surf schools operating out of caravans in the car park. It’s the perfect place to learn while the experts reel off the points around the corner, and far less intimidating than rocky Manu Bay. Rips can run hard, so surf near the flags.
Auckland’s west coast
Within an hour of the city, the west-coast beaches of Piha and Muriwai deliver raw, powerful black-sand surf beneath dramatic cliffs, a wild contrast to the big smoke just over the ranges.
Piha
Auckland’s iconic surf beach, Piha is a striking black-sand bay split by the towering Lion Rock, with punchy, powerful beach-break peaks and notorious rips (it’s the setting of the Piha Rescue TV series for good reason). It’s a rite of passage for Auckland surfers, best at lower tides, and demands respect and real ocean awareness. Not a beginner beach when it has size. See my full guide to surfing in Piha.
Muriwai
A long, exposed black-sand beach north of Piha, Muriwai picks up plenty of swell and offers consistent beach-break peaks along a huge stretch of sand, backed by a famous gannet colony. It’s rarely crowded away from the main access, and its sheer size means you can find your own peak. Wind and rips are the main considerations, so pick your spot and your day.
Taranaki
Ringed by a near-perfect volcanic cone, the Taranaki region (the Surf Highway 45 coast) is one of New Zealand’s best-kept secrets: a dense run of quality reefs, points and beaches over 105 kilometres that catch swell from almost every direction, so one side is usually working.
Stent Road
The jewel of the Taranaki coast, Stent Road is a fast, hollow right-hand point-reef that peels over boulders when a solid west swell wraps in, a rare quality right in a land of lefts, all beneath the snow-capped volcano. It’s a fierce local favourite, marked by the famous roadside sign, and rewards good surfers with long, walling rides. Rocky and shallow on the take-off.
Fitzroy Beach
New Plymouth’s main town beach, Fitzroy is a consistent, user-friendly beach break with sandbar peaks that suit beginners and improvers, backed by cafes and a surf club. It’s the easy, accessible option in a region full of heavier reefs, and a good place to warm up or learn. Works on most tides when the sandbanks line up.
Back Beach
Tucked beneath the steep Paritutu rock at the edge of New Plymouth, Back Beach picks up more swell than the town beaches and throws punchy peaks and the odd reef wave, with a spectacular backdrop of the Sugar Loaf islands. A step up in power, popular with local shortboarders, with strong rips when it’s big. A scenic, quality option on a west swell.
The east coast: Gisborne and the Bay of Plenty
The sunnier east coast runs to a different swell clock, catching easterly and cyclone swells that the west misses. Gisborne is the surf-mad capital of the country, while Mount Maunganui is the Bay of Plenty’s friendly beach-break hub.
Mount Maunganui
The Mount is a continual contender for New Zealand’s surf capital: a long, sandy Bay of Plenty beach below an iconic extinct volcano, with forgiving peaks and an artificial reef (Tay Street) that can fire. Reliable SE and E pulses give roughly 50% surfable days, and it’s a friendly, buzzing beach-holiday town, great for beginners and improvers. Best and busiest in the Kiwi summer.
Wainui Beach
Gisborne’s home beach, Wainui is a high-quality, consistent beach break with several named peaks (Pines, Whales, Schools) plus points at either end, in one of the most surf-obsessed towns in the country. It catches swell from multiple directions so it’s rarely flat, producing punchy, rippable waves. A true local’s beach with a strong scene, in the self-styled surf capital of NZ.
Makorori
Just north of Wainui, Makorori is a beautiful bay with a mix of beach-break peaks and a right-hand point at its northern end that peels nicely on the right swell. Slightly quieter than Wainui and just as consistent, it’s a Gisborne favourite for a change of scene. The point rewards patience and a mid tide.
The far north and the South Island
At the country’s extremes, the surf gets wilder and emptier: a mile-long left point in the subtropical far north, and the cold, powerful, uncrowded reefs and points of the South Island for those who’ll brave the chill.
Shipwreck Bay
At the southern end of Ninety Mile Beach in the subtropical far north, Shipwreck Bay (Ahipara) is a series of long, fast, shallow left-hand points that can join into a ride of well over a kilometre on the right big west swell. Warmer than the rest of the country and gloriously remote, it’s a longboard and point-surf dream, the jewel of Northland, with mellow cruisy sections that can also get big and fast. Fickle, needing a solid swell to wrap in.
Mangamaunu
A superb, long right-hand boulder point just north of Kaikoura, Mangamaunu peels for hundreds of metres along a rugged coast with snow-capped mountains behind, and is rated one of New Zealand’s best rights. The 2016 earthquake reshaped the point, and it can be world-class on a clean southerly. Cold water and a committed local crew, so bring a good wetsuit and your manners.
St Clair
Dunedin’s home break, St Clair is a consistent, quality beach break in the deep south that works year-round in cold, clean water, with a heated saltwater pool on the promenade to thaw out afterwards. It picks up abundant Southern Ocean swell and has a hardy, committed local scene. A 4/3 or thicker is essential this far south.
Aramoana
At the mouth of Otago Harbour, Aramoana is one of New Zealand’s finest waves: a long, hollow, sand-bottom left that barrels down the spit when a big southerly swell and an offshore align. It’s cold, fickle and demanding, breaking at its best only a handful of times a year, but when it does it’s world-class. A South Island jewel for experienced surfers who’ll wait for it.
When to surf in New Zealand
Shoulder
Summer (smaller west, best on the east coast)
New Zealand is exposed to swell from every direction and gets waves all year, but the famous west-coast points (Raglan, Taranaki, Shipwreck Bay) are most consistent from autumn to spring, roughly March to October, when SW and W groundswells dominate. Raglan in particular sees little difference between summer and winter, though the biggest, cleanest point days tend to land in the cooler months.
The Kiwi summer (December to February) is warmer and better suited to the east coast, where Mount Maunganui and Gisborne come alive on easterly and cyclone swells, and to beginners on the patrolled beaches. The South Island works year-round but is genuinely cold whatever the season. Wherever you are, weather is unpredictable, so watch the forecast and the wind.
What are the best surf camps in New Zealand?
New Zealand’s surf-camp and school scene is smaller and more low-key than the tropics, but the quality is high and it’s concentrated in the beginner-friendly spots. Raglan is the hub, with several well-regarded schools and coaching operations running out of Ngarunui Beach, while Mount Maunganui, Gisborne and the Taranaki beaches all have good schools and surf-and-stay options. Most run as lessons, coaching weeks and guided trips rather than all-inclusive tropical camps, and they’re a great way to learn the local breaks, tides and etiquette. Learn on the black-sand beaches, then earn your way onto the points.
Compare surf camps in New Zealand on BookSurfCamps
What to pack for New Zealand
Cold water, strong UV and rocky points mean rubber and sun protection come first. Your New Zealand packing checklist:
- A wetsuit: a 3/2 for the North Island in summer, a 4/3 in winter, and a 4/3 to 5/4 with a hood for the South Island year-round
- Booties for the rocky points (and for warmth in the south), plus gloves down south in winter
- Strong, reef-safe SPF and a surf hat: New Zealand’s UV is fierce, even in cool weather
- A surf watch to track the tides and the fast-changing conditions
- The right board: a longboard for the mellow beaches and Shipwreck Bay, a shortboard or step-up for the points; see our best beginner surfboards and check your board volume
- A set of fins and a spare, plus a leash you trust for the powerful spots
- Your best outfit from your favourite surf brand: see our best surf clothing brands
- A travel board bag and a hire car (ideally a campervan): New Zealand is made for a surf road trip
Getting to New Zealand
Most surfers fly into Auckland (AKL), which puts Raglan (about two hours) and the Piha beaches within easy reach, then road-trip from there; New Plymouth (NPL) serves Taranaki, Gisborne (GIS) the east coast, and Christchurch (CHC) or Dunedin (DUD) the South Island. A car or campervan is essential, since the best waves are spread out and often down gravel roads. It’s a long-haul flight for most, but easy to combine with surfing in Australia just across the Tasman for a bigger Southern Hemisphere trip. Watch the rips: relax and float, raise a hand, and ride the current until it weakens.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to surf in New Zealand?
New Zealand gets waves all year, but the west-coast points (Raglan, Taranaki, Shipwreck Bay) are most consistent from autumn to spring, roughly March to October, on SW and W groundswells. Summer suits the east coast (Gisborne, Mount Maunganui) and beginners. The South Island works year-round in cold water.
Is New Zealand good for beginners?
Yes, at the right beaches. Ngarunui (Raglan’s Ocean Beach), Mount Maunganui and Fitzroy Beach are forgiving, patrolled beach breaks with surf schools. Avoid the rocky points (Manu Bay, Stent Road) and heavy beaches (Piha) until you’ve got experience and can read rips.
Where should I go for my first New Zealand surf trip?
Raglan is the classic base: two hours from Auckland, with a beginner beach, world-class points to aspire to and a great surf-town vibe. Add the east coast (Gisborne, the Mount) for warmer, easier waves, or road-trip the North Island’s west coast.
Do I need a wetsuit in New Zealand?
Yes, always. The North Island needs a 3/2 in summer and a 4/3 in winter; the South Island is genuinely cold, wanting a 4/3 to 5/4 with booties and often a hood year-round. New Zealand is never boardshorts surf.
How good is Raglan?
World-class. Raglan’s Manu Bay, Whale Bay and Indicators form one of the longest and best left-hand point systems on the planet, and on a clean SW swell with a SE wind they can link into rides of hundreds of metres. It’s a bucket-list wave, especially for goofy-footers.
Is the South Island worth surfing?
Absolutely, if you don’t mind the cold. Spots like Mangamaunu near Kaikoura, St Clair in Dunedin and the barrelling sand-point at Aramoana are high quality and uncrowded, set against spectacular mountain-and-ocean scenery. Bring a thick wetsuit, booties and a hood.
New Zealand is a goofy-footer’s paradise and one of surfing’s great uncrowded frontiers: the endless lefts of Raglan and Shipwreck Bay, the secret reefs of Taranaki, the sun-soaked beaches of Gisborne and the cold, wild points of the South Island. Pack a good wetsuit, chase the swell around a country made for road trips, and you’ll see why Kiwis never leave the water. See you in the line-up.
