Mount Maunganui Surf Guide for 2026

Spilling down the side of the Bay of Plenty region right into the face of the Pacific Ocean, Mount Maunganui is a continual contender for the title of New Zealand’s surfing capital.

It manages some pretty enticing consistency thanks to the SE pulses that seem to continually roll off the big ocean there. Most of the months have at least 50% surfable days, with two thirds of that coming from groundswell. AKA – it’s reliable.

Waiting to greet the sets are long lengths of powdery white sand, only occasionally interrupted by the rugged rocks of Moturiki Island and a few other sandbanks that poke out to the north.

It’s that shapely coastline and the mix of straight strands and headlands that helps to create a mix of peaky beach breaks, easy-going secondary swell for beginners, and harder right-hand points for the more advanced folks. So, on top of consistencuy, there’s something for all surfers in these parts.

If we had to pick out a downside, it’s that Mount Maunganui is undeniably urban. For us, one of the joys in surfing in New Zealand often lie in seeking out off-radar breaks where it’s just you, the salt spray, and the soaring mountains in the distance.

In these parts, it’s more likely to be condos and cool beach bars and sun-seeking Aucklanders.

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>>This guide is just one part of our complete guide to surfing in New Zealand

Mount Maunganui surf at a glance

What’s in this guide to Mount Maunganui?

Mount Maunganui surf spots

Mount Maunganui has access to a whole medley of surf spots. They line up along the barrier islands of the Bay of Plenty and stretch south all the way to Papamoa Beach. Some are within walking distance of the town center. Others need a car. Some even need a boat. Let’s take a look at the whole lot…

Puni’s Farm

We thought we’d kick-start this guide to Mount Maunganui with one of the best breaks in the whole of the Bay of Plenty region: Puni’s Farm. Sadly, it lies across the straight from the town of Mount Maunganui itself.

Don’t be tempted to paddle – the coastguards will hate you for it and there are reasons why. Instead, hop a boat to the point on Matakana Island. That’s the meeting spot for a series of waves, all of them tubey barrels that are fun and fast on good NE-SE swells.

It’s an experienced surfer’s wave only and needs some decent NE swells to get going.

Main Beach

Main Beach is where most people will go to surf in Mount Maunganui. Located right in front of the town, it’s really easy to get to from virtually all the hotels.

The waves are classic peaky beach breaks that can get dumpy and close out on bigger Pacific swells. Thankfully, you also have the option of a more shapely right point close to the south-east end of the bay. Main Beach is suited to beginners and intermediates.

Main hazards are rips near the island and swimmers (it’s super busy in the summer months!)

Tay Street Beach

Tay Street Beach is another of the quality Bay of Plenty breaks that’s good for all levels. It’s a long beachfront with waves that lump up up over the sandbars. They can be quite sucky and strong, offering fast drop-ins to the left and the right. Still, they all break on sand and are quite forgiving, so they’re the tailor-made option for improving intermediates if you ask us.

Arataki

For all intents and purposes Arataki is just a continuation of Tay Street Beach as the shoreline edges south-east. The waves might be a little stronger though, and the crowds certainly thin out. There are some nice Airbnbs in the areas behind the beach and it’s a great spot to be if you want to surf every morning without the hassle of too mant swimmers.

Papamoa Beach

When the Papamoa surf report is reading anything over 2 foot on a NE swell, you can bet there’ll be a crowd out. That’s not usually an issue, though. Localism isn’t a thing here and there’s a friendly local surf club. The wave is a high-quality beach break over sand that gets pretty punchy on a good day. Bring the shorty when it’s 4foot+ for sure as the shoulders can be rippable and super fun.

When to surf in Mount Maunganui

January to April is peak season here, to catch those nice cyclone pulses that push down from the north. That said, there’s almost always a wave about.

Summer (November-Feb)

The SE groundswells needed to breathe life into spots like the Tay Street Beach and Main Beach are at their most consistent from early December, but you get the added bonus of lots of cyclone action in the northern Pacific, so there’s swell loads of the time

Put simply: It’s the best time to hit Mount Maunganui. Sets are typically clean and glassy with nice wide periods, and the water is warm.

Sadly, this also coincides with the vacationing months, so lineups will be busy and there will be lots more swimmers in the water to dodge.

Wear: 3/2 or 2mm or even rash vests are doable but you gotta’ be a bit brave

Autumn (March-May)

The summer swells and the drop in crowds dovetail nicely in North Island’s surf capital (sorry Raglan!) in autumn. There are some excellent surf days of mellowed out Pacific NEerlies that can oscillate between punchy and chilled for all levels. It’s also a cheaper time to visit.

Wear: 3/2

Winter (June-August)

Winter is probably the worst season of all but it’s still not bad. There’s jist way less reliability and you don’t get the same summer surf vibe in the town. However, the Pacific swell channels see to it that there’s rarely a month without at least 10 or 15 days where the waves are good.

Offshores won’t be about and that’s the main issue, as the sucky shorebreaks turn full closeout and things can be a touch messier. Still fun if you don’t want to make the hefty drive over to Piha or Raglan.

Wear: 4/3

Spring (September-October)

The very start of the Pacific cyclone season can send this quadrant of ocean into overdrive. There are some days that bring whopping big swells to bear on the north coast. Thankfully, the sandbanks and points of Mount Maunganui handle them well and there’s often something rideable at the tail end of the storms.

Generally, spring is a consistent season that lends itself to more advanced and upper intermediate surfers in Mount Maunganui.

Wear: 4/3 or 3/2

Where to stay when surfing in Mount Maunganui?

Mount Maunganui is riddled from beach to beach in coastal properties. It’s got an eclectic range of places to stay near the surf breaks, mainly because it’s such a popular North Island holiday spot.

Some are within walking dist of the breaks. Others are a bit further back. It hardly matters in my mind, since you’re going to want to hire a car to come here anyway.

• The Reef Beachfront Apartments – Openign up to big views of the Pacific Ocean and the long sands of the town’s main beach below, these pads are perfect for surfing, chilling, surfing some more. Easy walk to the waves of Main Beach. Nice looking onsite pool.
• Quest Mt Maunganui – Quest is a super-slick looking hotel/aparthotel setup that scores 9.1 (that’s high!). It’s a solid option so long as you have a car because it’s not walking distnce to the main surf spots – they’re like 10-15 mins drive away.
• Pacific Coast Lodge and Backpackers – An award-winning hostel in the adventure travel sector that really only makes this list because a) it’s cheap and b) guests get free use of the on-site surfboards.

A good way to make sure you get somewhere within walking access of the beach breaks in Mount Maunganui is to use Booking.com’s map tool. Anywhere 1-2 blocks away from the main beach there should be good to go.

Surf shops in Mount Maunganui

Mount Maunganui isn’t hailed as the surf capital of the North Island for nothing. You’ll find lots of surf shops selling everything you need for all sorts of wavecraft. Our favs are…

• Mount Surf Shop – a Kiwi-owned establishment that’s got two locations Down Under. They’re one of our go-to spots in Mount Maunganui thanks to a cracking range of soft tops and fins. They also stock nice local surf fashion with a bit of a twist to it.
• Backdoor – there’s an undeniably impressive surfboard rack at the Backdoor shop. It’s got everything from sub-five shorties to fat longboards for those mellower days on the Mount Maunganui surf.

Mount Maunganui travel basics

Where is Mount Maunganui?

The town of Mount Maunganui lies on a large sand spit on the north-eastern tip of the Bay of Plenty region. That puts it to the south-east of Auckland, which is around three hours’ drive away and directly north of Napier and Hastings (those are at least 3.5 hours away). Other surfers will drive in from Wellington.

That’s also on North Island, but at least seven hours in the car. Be sure to break up the drive at least twice if you’re planning it!