North Island New Zealand
Surf Spots & Information

The North Island of New Zealand is 113,729 square km
in area, making it the world's 14th largest island. It has a
population of 3 million. Several important cities are on the
North Island, notably New Zealand's largest city, Auckland, and Wellington, the capital, located at the southern extremity of the island. Approximately 76% of New Zealand's population lives on the North Island.

According to Māori mythology, the North and South Islands of New Zealand arose through the actions of the demigod Māui. Māui and his brothers were fishing from their canoe (the South Island) when he caught a great fish and pulled it from the sea. While he was not looking, his brothers fought over the fish and chopped it up. This great fish became the North Island, and thus the Māori name for the North Island is Te Ika-a-Māui (The Fish of Māui). The mountains and valleys are said to have been formed as a result of Māui's brothers hacking at the fish.

The North Island has warm temperatures in summer from December to March and wetsuits are not usually needed. The South Island waters are colder and generally call for wetsuit protection.

The choice of surf breaks is vast - from clean barrels peeling onto pure white, sandy beaches on the east coast, to gnarly freight train sets pounding rugged west coast beaches. There are ‘super tubes’ with 1-km-long joy rides at Ahipara and plenty of consistent surf at Raglan. You can experience big waves that are longboard at Murderer’s Bay in Dunedin, as well as clean tubes at Gisborne.

North Island is a real surfer’s paradise. The surfing near the main urban areas can get a bit crowded; similarly, the more famous spots such as Raglan and Piha can have crowds and it's best to explore away from crowded beaches and spots.

Find a surf school on the North Island of New Zealand.

North Island Surf Breaks

Piha
Surf Location	South Piha car park, look for the giant rock that separates the two beaches
Best Swell Direction	Southwest
Best Tide	Any tide
Best Wind Direction	East
Best Surf Season	Winter
Wave Quality	Good beach break that breaks consistently
The Surfers	Crowded
Boards	Longboard, shortboard
Paddle Out	Moderate
Skill Level	Intermediate to Expert
Bottom	Sandy with rocks
Watch Out For...	Rocks, sharks
Water Condition	Clean and clear

Mount Main Beach
Surf Location	City of Mt. Mauganue on the east coast
Best Swell Direction	North, Northeast
Best Tide	Mid and High
Best Wind Direction	West
Best Surf Season	Summer and Fall
Wave Quality	Beach break and man made reef that spits a hollow little tube
The Surfers	Crowded
Boards	Longboard, shortboard
Paddle Out	Moderate
Skill Level	Beginner
Bottom	Sandy
Watch Out For...	Other surfers, sharks
Water Condition	Clean and clear

Shipwreck Bay
Surf Location	2 hours outside of Auckland, it lays at the southernmost point of Ninety Mile Beach in the city of Ahipara
Best Swell Direction	Southeast, East
Best Tide	Mid to High
Best Wind Direction	West
Best Surf Season	Winter
Wave Quality	Left-breaking point break that breaks with frequency
The Surfers	Crowd is not too bad
Boards	Longboard, shortboard
Paddle Out	Moderate to difficult
Skill Level	Intermediate to Expert
Bottom	Sand and rock
Watch Out For...	Sharks, rips
Water Condition	Clean and clear

Raglan
Surf Location	Head to Raglan and you will find the world-famous point break
Best Swell Direction	Southwest
Best Tide	Low
Best Wind Direction	Southeast, East
Best Surf Season	Winter
Wave Quality	Hollow, powerful left point break. The best-known break in the country, and one of the world’s best waves!
The Surfers	Good surfers are on this wave frequently. Expect crowds when there is a good swell.
Boards	Longboard, shortboard
Paddle Out	Moderate
Skill Level	Intermediate to Expert
Bottom	Rocks
Watch Out For...	Rocks, locals
Water Condition	Clean and clear