Raglan tide times

Raglan is on the west coast of the North Island, 50 kilometres west of Hamilton, and it is New Zealand's most celebrated surf town. The Raglan Harbour — a large tidal estuary fed by the Waitetuna River — sits behind the headland; the surf breaks are on the open west coast facing the Tasman Sea. Tidal pattern is semidiurnal with a mean spring range of about 1.8 metres. The estuary reveals extensive sand and mudflats at low water and fills to navigable depth on the flood — a complete transformation twice a day.

Manu Bay and Whale Bay are the two main surf breaks south of the harbour entrance. Manu Bay (Indicators) is a long, perfect left-hand point break that runs up to 400 metres in ideal swell conditions — one of the longest rideable point breaks in New Zealand. The 1966 film Endless Summer featured Manu Bay and helped establish Raglan's international reputation. The wave works on south and southwest swells from Tasman Sea storms, typically best from May through September. Whale Bay, a short walk south from Manu Bay, is a shorter, more powerful left that handles larger swell.

The harbour is completely separate in character. At high water, the wide estuary has flat, clean water ideal for stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking — the mangrove channels on the northern side are sheltered and interesting to explore. At low water, the sand and mud flats are exposed and the wading birds (godwits, oystercatchers, herons) work the margins. The harbour bar at the mouth can be rough in onshore conditions and should be treated with caution in any sea state above 1 metre.

Climbing on the volcanic rock outcrops south of Manu Bay is a growing activity. The basalt formations at Te Toto Gorge (5 km south) have bolted sport climbing routes above the sea — the climbing is accessible at low water from the beach. The gorge itself drains to the sea at low tide and is a good rock pooling site.

Raglan town has a relaxed character with good cafes, an art scene, and the Xtreme Raglan surf school operating from Ngarunui Beach on the harbour side (the most protected surf teaching beach). Wetsuits are standard year-round — water temperature ranges 16°C in winter to 20°C in summer.

Predictions on this page come from Open-Meteo Marine, a gridded global ocean model. Accuracy is typically within plus or minus 45 minutes on timing and 0.2 to 0.3 metres on height — model-derived, not from a local gauge. For authoritative New Zealand tide data, consult Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) at linz.govt.nz.