Tutukākā spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

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◈Tutukākā · New Zealand
5.3
wave 0.6 m
visibility~4m

Marginal

Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and noticeable surge.

Sources: MetService · Open-Meteo · Copernicus · Sentinel-2 — high confidence · data 09:53

Sources & confidence

Sources
MetService · Open-Meteo · Copernicus · Sentinel-2
Method
spearo sea-state engine: consensus of up to 6 models + satellite clarity (ZSD) + buoy-bias checks
Freshness
Re-read every hour, per coast

Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine · How it works →

The verdict comes from seven water factors and hard safety gates — not ten tabs. Go or stay.

How we score the water

Our own model

Our own forecast engine — not a third-party widget. It weighs these water factors into one go-or-stay verdict for this coast; the 0–10 dial is that verdict, read out as a number.

01
Swell & wave memory
Height, period and direction of the swell, plus the wake of recent storms — an old storm still stirs the water, and the engine remembers.
02
Wind & gusts
Speed and gusts, hour by hour — wind speed and an onshore push chop the surface and cut visibility.
03
Tide phase
Timing and range of the tide, calibrated per coast — big spring tides pull the verdict toward caution.
04
Water temperature
Sea-surface temperature — sharply cold water vetoes a green verdict.
05
Currents & outflow
Direction and drift of the current — it pushes you, and it drags turbid coastal water across where you dive.
06
Rain runoff & air clarity
Rain muddies the water inshore through land runoff, while fog and haze cut visibility at the surface.
07
Coast shape & exposure
How the coast faces the swell — a sheltered cove keeps the water clean; an exposed, head-on point takes a penalty.

Safety gates

  • Thunderstorm forecast — an instant red, no exceptions.
  • An official warning (MeteoAlarm / IPMA) — yellow, or red for the higher ranks.
  • Missing input data — a would-be green is capped to yellow rather than overstated.
  • Strong disagreement between forecast models — a green day is pulled back to yellow.
  • Night hours — where night spearfishing is banned by law the window is forced red; where it is legal (Australia outside NSW, New Zealand, South Africa) it is capped at yellow, never green.

It all folds into a single 0–10 score and one verdict: go or stay.

A forecast, not a guarantee — the sea has the last word.

Entry pointsNo-take zones

Where to get in, where to hunt

Entry points with coordinates
Seabed relief — promising ground

This verdict — in your pocket. Open the app for the week's window.

Coming soon

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Spots in New Zealand

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Northland

  • Pataua South
  • Whangārei
  • Ōakura
  • Ruakākā
  • Mangawhai
  • Russell
  • Paihia (Bay of Islands)
  • Kerikeri Inlet
  • Mahuta
  • Glinks Gully
  • Kellys Bay
  • Baylys Beach
  • Omamari
  • Matauri Bay
  • Aranga Beach
  • Pouto
  • Waipōua Settlement
  • Koutu
  • Ōmāpere
  • Mangōnui
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0 m

Surface

Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.

spearo.app
MetService no dataThis information is made freely available by MetService. Despite this, MetService is not associated with, and does not endorse, spearo.app or have involvement in how this information is presentedupdated 09:53
Tutukākā — solo, off the rocks
BORDERLINE
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · swell period 9 s
wave 0.6 mwind 6 km/hnoticeable surgevisibility ~4 m
today, best window 18:00–21:00
fish · Visibility 4 m · Water 17°C
confidence high · verdict for the selected day
Best window · next 3 days
borderlinetoday · 18:00–21:00
you can see ~4 m ahead fish

ℹ️ Conservative visibility estimate kept

↓ low tide 12:44 · slack water ~11:59–13:29 bite times: 11:00–13:00 · 18:16–19:16

Tell me when it's on

Just your email — nothing else needed.

Whole week — tap a day. is driving swell right now.
›
Solo risk: carry a float · tell someone your plan and exit time · doubt = don't go. A model-based planner; the call is made on site.
Selected day

Windows, hours
and the day's trends.

The day is picked above, in the hero. Here are that day's windows, the hour-by-hour map and the trends. Tap a window to break down the conditions.

Sunday · today2026-10-25
06:27–19:45 · full moon
▼ 00:00▲ 07:00▼ 13:00▲ 19:00 · 1.8 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide-0.35 m
Wave0.50 m
Wind5 km/h
Water17 °C
fish activity: moon overhead 00:00 · high · moonset 05:24 · moderate · moon underfoot 12:00 · high · moonrise 18:46 · moderate
Conditions window15:00–18:00
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish
Hs 0.58 m · slightperiod 9.8 swind 7→16surge 1.9viz 4 m
0.58 mslight · up to ~1.16 · 76° at an angle
9.8 sswell moderate
7→16gusts 16 km/h
1.9noticeable surge
0.28m/s
4 mrecent swell
17.1°C5 mm + hood
▲19:00tide rising
Atmosphere49 kmovercast
lowoff the lunar peaks
  • wind-wave — choppy surface
  • swell period 10 s
  • flood — water rising
confidence lowday
Open the seafloor map with entry points →

Your best window — with you. Forecast in your pocket.

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−10 m

The water column

Visibility and what drives it — post-storm clearing, river plume, temperature and the thermocline.

What it is

A marine instrument,
go / no-go for solo hunting.

spearo.app folds wind, wave, swell period, visibility, tides, water temperature and risk into a single verdict — go to the spot or not. It computes 7 days ahead from open marine models (Open-Meteo, IPMA), with no sign-up and no accounts. Built for solo spearfishing off the rocks, where any mistake costs dearly.

Now live: 3016 spots across 406 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.

See all spots →
−20 m

The seabed

Relief and bottom type, tides, and the depths of each spot.

On the rock

The forecast is the plan.
The call is on the rock.

The models set the window. Whether you go in is read only at the water: count the sets, watch the surge on the entry. If in doubt, you don't get in.

Entry points

Where to get in
off the rocks.

Scouted entries, coloured by today. The colour is the sea state at the spot, not a guarantee: the wash and a slippery entry you judge on site.

Open the seafloor map →
🔒 Church Bay (Tutukākā)Tutukākā
borderline
Pro · subscribers
Legal notice: Rehuotane Ki Tai temporary closure: you must not take crab, garfish, mussel, octopus, pāua, packhorse rock lobster, rock oyster, sea cucumber, sea snail and other listed shellfish here. · 2026-06-26 – 2028-06-25 (Pacific/Auckland) · Scope: cockle, crab, garfish, mussel, octopus, pāua, pipi, packhorse rock lobster, rock oyster, sea cucumber, sea horse, sea snail, starfish and tuatua · Fisheries (Rehuotane Ki Tai Temporary Closure and Method Prohibition) Notice 2026 (Notice No. MPI 1999), s 186A Fisheries Act 1996 (as of 2026-09-26)
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
—
Seabed depth of the selected area
no data (coarse grid)

The full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.

One morning glance — and you know.

Download on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle Play
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≈

Surfacing

Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.

Live cameras, map & reference
Open the seafloor map →
Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

Rules as of now — 25.10.2026 17:30 (Pacific/Auckland)

In season now
  • snapper (tāmure)
    Chrysophrys auratus · 3–40 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    min 30 cm · bag 7 a day · inside the combined limit 20 · East coast (SNA 1): 7 a day, min 30 cm. Auckland west coast (Kaipara/Manukau): 10 a day, min 27 cm. Inside the combined 20-finfish limit.
  • trevally (araara)
    Pseudocaranx georgianus · 3–30 m · legal
    min 25 cm · inside the combined limit 20
  • kahawai
    Arripis trutta · 0–20 m · legal
    no minimum size · inside the combined limit 20
  • John Dory (kuparu)
    Zeus faber · 5–40 m · legal
    no minimum size · inside the combined limit 20
  • porae
    Nemadactylus douglasii · 10–50 m · legal
    no minimum size · inside the combined limit 20
  • red moki (nanua)
    Cheilodactylus spectabilis · 3–25 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    min 40 cm · inside the combined limit 20
  • kina (sea urchin)
    Evechinus chloroticus · 1–15 m · legal
    no minimum size · bag 150 a day · ⚠️ Before taking any shellfish check the NZ Food Safety biotoxin warnings — they change constantly and are separate from the fishing rules.
Tokerau Beach
  • Ahipara
  • Auckland & Hauraki Gulf

    • Leigh
    • Campbells Beach
    • Snells Beach
    • South Head
    • Mahurangi East
    • Mahurangi West
    • Waioneke
    • Makarau
    • Shelly Beach
    • Ōrewa
    • Great Barrier Island
    • Whangaparāoa
    • Muriwai
    • Waiheke Island
    • Auckland
    • Te Henga / Bethells Beach
    • Beachlands
    • Orapiu

    All 201 spots → · Region: Northland · spearo.app — All countries

    transparency nearby ~8 m · satellite, 2 days agosatellite estimate · may differ right at the shore

    Open in the app →
    🔒 Kowharewa BayTutukākā
    borderline
    Pro · subscribers
    Legal notice: Rehuotane Ki Tai temporary closure: you must not take crab, garfish, mussel, octopus, pāua, packhorse rock lobster, rock oyster, sea cucumber, sea snail and other listed shellfish here. · 2026-06-26 – 2028-06-25 (Pacific/Auckland) · Scope: cockle, crab, garfish, mussel, octopus, pāua, pipi, packhorse rock lobster, rock oyster, sea cucumber, sea horse, sea snail, starfish and tuatua · Fisheries (Rehuotane Ki Tai Temporary Closure and Method Prohibition) Notice 2026 (Notice No. MPI 1999), s 186A Fisheries Act 1996 (as of 2026-09-26)
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    no data (coarse grid)

    The full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.

    Open in the app →
    Kukutauwhao Island (Tutukaka Head)Tutukākā
    borderline
    Legal notice: Rehuotane Ki Tai temporary closure: you must not take crab, garfish, mussel, octopus, pāua, packhorse rock lobster, rock oyster, sea cucumber, sea snail and other listed shellfish here. · 2026-06-26 – 2028-06-25 (Pacific/Auckland) · Scope: cockle, crab, garfish, mussel, octopus, pāua, pipi, packhorse rock lobster, rock oyster, sea cucumber, sea horse, sea snail, starfish and tuatua · Fisheries (Rehuotane Ki Tai Temporary Closure and Method Prohibition) Notice 2026 (Notice No. MPI 1999), s 186A Fisheries Act 1996 (as of 2026-09-26)
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    no data (coarse grid)

    Island at the mouth of Tutukākā Harbour, walkable at low tide; kingfish and snapper in strong tidal flow.

    Google Maps
    Matapouri BayTutukākā
    borderline
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    no data (coarse grid)

    White-sand bay with rocky headlands north of Tutukākā; snapper, kingfish and cray in clear water.

    Google Maps
    🔒 Middle GableTutukākā
    borderline
    Ultra · subscribers
    Legal notice: Rehuotane Ki Tai temporary closure: you must not take crab, garfish, mussel, octopus, pāua, packhorse rock lobster, rock oyster, sea cucumber, sea snail and other listed shellfish here. · 2026-06-26 – 2028-06-25 (Pacific/Auckland) · Scope: cockle, crab, garfish, mussel, octopus, pāua, pipi, packhorse rock lobster, rock oyster, sea cucumber, sea horse, sea snail, starfish and tuatua · Fisheries (Rehuotane Ki Tai Temporary Closure and Method Prohibition) Notice 2026 (Notice No. MPI 1999), s 186A Fisheries Act 1996 (as of 2026-09-26)
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    no data (coarse grid)

    The full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.

    Open in the app →
    🔒 Pacific BayTutukākā
    borderline
    Pro · subscribers
    Legal notice: Rehuotane Ki Tai temporary closure: you must not take crab, garfish, mussel, octopus, pāua, packhorse rock lobster, rock oyster, sea cucumber, sea snail and other listed shellfish here. · 2026-06-26 – 2028-06-25 (Pacific/Auckland) · Scope: cockle, crab, garfish, mussel, octopus, pāua, pipi, packhorse rock lobster, rock oyster, sea cucumber, sea horse, sea snail, starfish and tuatua · Fisheries (Rehuotane Ki Tai Temporary Closure and Method Prohibition) Notice 2026 (Notice No. MPI 1999), s 186A Fisheries Act 1996 (as of 2026-09-26)
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    no data (coarse grid)

    The full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.

    Open in the app →
    Sandy BayTutukākā
    borderline
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    no data (coarse grid)

    Surf-and-reef bay on the Tutukākā coast; rocky ends hold snapper, butterfish and crayfish.

    Google Maps
    🔒 Sandy Bay Reef (Matapouri North)Tutukākā
    borderline
    Ultra · subscribers
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    no data (coarse grid)

    The full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.

    Open in the app →
    Whale Bay (Tutukaka)Tutukākā
    borderline
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    no data (coarse grid)

    Native-bush-backed bay next to Matapouri; boulder reef with kingfish current lines and cray.

    Google Maps
    Whangaumu Bay (Wellingtons Bay)Tutukākā
    borderline
    Legal notice: Rehuotane Ki Tai temporary closure: you must not take crab, garfish, mussel, octopus, pāua, packhorse rock lobster, rock oyster, sea cucumber, sea snail and other listed shellfish here. · 2026-06-26 – 2028-06-25 (Pacific/Auckland) · Scope: cockle, crab, garfish, mussel, octopus, pāua, pipi, packhorse rock lobster, rock oyster, sea cucumber, sea horse, sea snail, starfish and tuatua · Fisheries (Rehuotane Ki Tai Temporary Closure and Method Prohibition) Notice 2026 (Notice No. MPI 1999), s 186A Fisheries Act 1996 (as of 2026-09-26)
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    no data (coarse grid)

    Sheltered bay with rocky ends and an easy shore entry; a rāhui closure runs to 2028 and shuts a NAMED list of species — lobster and garfish among them — so check the MPI list before you take anything.

    Google Maps
    🔒 Whau Point (Whangaumu South)Tutukākā
    borderline
    Pro · subscribers
    Legal notice: Rehuotane Ki Tai temporary closure: you must not take crab, garfish, mussel, octopus, pāua, packhorse rock lobster, rock oyster, sea cucumber, sea snail and other listed shellfish here. · 2026-06-26 – 2028-06-25 (Pacific/Auckland) · Scope: cockle, crab, garfish, mussel, octopus, pāua, pipi, packhorse rock lobster, rock oyster, sea cucumber, sea horse, sea snail, starfish and tuatua · Fisheries (Rehuotane Ki Tai Temporary Closure and Method Prohibition) Notice 2026 (Notice No. MPI 1999), s 186A Fisheries Act 1996 (as of 2026-09-26)
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    no data (coarse grid)

    The full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.

    Open in the app →
    Woolleys BayTutukākā
    borderline
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    no data (coarse grid)

    Sandy bay between reefy headlands; easy shore entry for snapper and kahawai.

    Google Maps

    SOLO is the biggest risk: underwater you can black out from lack of oxygen silently and fatally, with no one around. Solo is never truly «safe». Below are the best weather windows; carry a buoy, tell someone your plan and exit time, and any doubt — don't go.

  • parore (luderick)
    Girella tricuspidata · 0–15 m · legal
    no minimum size · inside the combined limit 20
  • leatherjacket (kōkiri)
    Meuschenia scaber · 3–30 m · legal
    no minimum size · inside the combined limit 20
  • butterfish / greenbone (marari)
    Odax pullus · 2–20 m · legal
    min 35 cm · inside the combined limit 20
  • off season: red / spiny rock lobster (kōura) () · pāua (blackfoot abalone) () · packhorse rock lobster (kōura papatea) () · scallop (tipa) () · spotted black grouper () · green-lipped mussel (kūtai) () · garfish / piper ()
    Law
    • ✓There is no in New Zealand: MPI states plainly that you do not need one to fish in the sea — only fresh water needs a licence. The rules are REGIONAL, though: MPI divides the country into seven fishing areas with their own sizes and limits, and the Kaikōura Marine Area has rules of its own on top. Buying, selling or swapping recreationally caught seafood is an offence under the Fisheries Act 1996.
    • ✓Three species may not be taken with a SPEAR anywhere in the country: rock lobster, salmon and trout. For rock lobster it is an express rule — using a spear to take one, and possessing a speared lobster, are both prohibited, with a fine up to NZ$10,000 (Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations 2013, reg. 29(2)). Salmon and trout are freshwater sports fish managed by Fish & Game.
    • ✓AN IMPORTANT CORRECTION to a common belief: no nationwide scuba ban for spearfishing was found in the MPI rules. The only breathing-apparatus prohibition is for PĀUA: it may be neither taken nor possessed while you have apparatus, even if the tank is merely in the car or on the boat (Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations 2013, reg. 48). A snorkel is not apparatus, and what forbids rock lobster is the SPEAR, not the tank. An absence of prohibition is not a permission: ask MPI before you go.
    • ✓: MPI describes spearfishing as catching fish with rubber-powered spearguns and slings or compressed-gas pneumatic spearguns, and its rules say neither yes nor no about or explosive tips. Treat the question as UNRESOLVED and do not carry a as permitted gear. No time-of-day restriction was found in the MPI rules or in the Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations 2013.
    • ✓How to measure and where to check: a finfish is measured from the tip of the nose to the end of the middle ray of the tail fin — the 'V' of the tail, not its tips (Fisheries (Amateur Fishing) Regulations 2013). Rock lobster is measured by tail WIDTH; pāua along the flat face of the shell in a straight line, not over the curve. Rules change often: MPI asks you to check them each time before you go fishing, for example in the NZ Fishing Rules app. Poaching: 0800 4 POACHER.
    • ✓Auckland & Kermadec: combined finfish daily limit 20. Snapper 7 at 30 cm on the east coast (SNA 1) and 10 at 27 cm on the west (Kaipara/Manukau). Kingfish 3 at 75 cm, trevally min 25 cm, red moki min 40 cm. Kina 150 in 1. Pāua 10 at 125 mm. Spiny rock lobster is CLOSED Pārengarenga – Cape Rodney and Cape Rodney – Port Jackson; scallops are closed in Northland and the Coromandel (MPI; Fisheries (Recreational Management Controls) Notice No. 1 2026).
    • •Weather: MetService coastal forecasts and gale warnings — metservice.com/marine/coastal, areas: brett, kaipara, colville, plenty, raglan. Fishing rules change: check MPI or the NZ Fishing Rules app before every trip.
    • ⛔ 🚫 Absolutely protected under the Wildlife Act 1953: white, basking, whale, oceanic whitetip and smalltooth sandtiger sharks, oceanic manta and spinetail devil rays, giant grouper and spotted black grouper, plus black corals, gorgonians, stony corals and hydrocorals. Marine mammals sit under the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978. Penalty up to NZ$250,000 and six months.
    • ⛔ 🚫 Marine reserves (Marine Reserves Act 1971) are total no-take by any method, spearfishing included; so are areas protected under the Conservation Act 1987. and run on their own bylaws, and a is a temporary closure under the Fisheries Act 1996 with a real fine as well as a tapu. Check local bylaws and current before you go — they change several times a year.
    • ⛔ 🚫 Spiny rock lobster is CLOSED from Pārengarenga Harbour to Cape Rodney and from Cape Rodney to Port Jackson. Scallops are closed in SCA 1 (Northland) and in all of SCA CS (Coromandel). Maunganui Bay (Deep Water Cove) — nothing may be taken except kina. At Aotea/Great Barrier and Ahuahu/Great Mercury the caulerpa notices apply: spearfishing and hand-gathering stay legal, seabed-contact methods do not.
    • ⛔ 🚫 Temporary closures on this coast (s 186A notices, 2026): Te Tauroa, Ahipara — pāua closed 15 Oct 2026 – 14 Oct 2028; Waiheke Island within 1 nm — mussels, pāua and packhorse lobster closed for two years from 7 Aug 2026; Rehuotane Ki Tai (Tutukaka – Ngunguru) — shellfish, crab, garfish, octopus, pāua and packhorse closed 26 Jun 2026 – 25 Jun 2028; Marsden and Mair Banks — all shellfish closed 29 Jun 2026 – 28 Jun 2028; Ōmaha Bay, Kawau Bay and Whangaparāoa rock pools to 200 m offshore — all invertebrates except spiny lobster, scallops and kina closed for two years from 12 Mar 2026.

    Rules change and are regional. Before heading out, check with MPI (regional fishing rules / the NZ Fishing Rules app), DOC (marine reserves) and local notices (rāhui/mātaitai).

    Safety protocol
    • Sets: watch the wave trains ≥15 min before entering; Hmax ≈ 2×Hs, the wash can run 50 m past the foam line. A lull >10 min with period >12 s = a big set «overdue», do NOT enter; enter right after a full set passes and re-check at minute 30.
    • Exit FIRST: find your exit AND a backup before entering. On a rocky/boulder shore a 0.5 m rise in swell can make the exit impossible — getting pinned/unable to climb out is the main killer.
    • Headland rip: prominent points often have a permanent topographic rip regardless of the model — locate it, enter/exit on the windward side, never swim against it.
    • Cold: wetsuit per the SST chip; the first shiver = a metabolic surge and a drop in breath-hold → get out at the first steady shiver. Cap the session at 45–60 min below 15 °C.
    • Solo discipline: buoy up; tell someone the spot and exit time; conservative breath-hold (never push it in cold/murky/surfy water); visibility <3 m — don't enter.
    • Afternoon wind: on many coasts the wind builds from midday — plan to be out of the water by midday; the chop builds — get out.
    • UV 11:00–15:00 (UVI ≥6): sunscreen and cover up on the surface interval.
    • Solo is a fundamental risk (hypoxic blackout with no buddy). Any doubt = No-go.
    Local guide · Tutukākā

    Spearfishing in Tutukākā: spots, seasons and rules

    Updated 2026-09-05 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

    Spearfishing at Tutukākā works because the coast faces east into clean Northland water and the harbour keeps a fallback for the days it does not. New Zealand has no recreational sea-fishing licence, but MPI Auckland and Kermadec rules still run the day: a combined daily limit of 20 finfish, snapper at 7 per day and 30 cm on the SNA 1 east coast, and kingfish at 3 per day and 75 cm. The Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve that Tutukākā launches for is no-take for every method, spearfishing included. MPI lists Pārengarenga Harbour to Cape Rodney as closed to spiny rock lobster from 1 April 2026, and the Rehuotane Ki Tai closure bans pāua and packhorse rock lobster from 26 June 2026 to 25 June 2028.

    TL;DR

    • Tutukākā is a Northland dive base with an east-facing coast and harbour bays that stay workable when a big north-easterly shuts the open rock.
    • The Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve is a full no-take area, so it is a look-only trip; Whangārei Harbour Marine Reserve is also closed to all fishing.
    • MPI Auckland and Kermadec rules apply: a combined daily limit of 20 finfish, snapper at 7 per day and 30 cm on the SNA 1 east coast, kingfish at 3 per day and 75 cm.
    • Crayfish may never be speared, and MPI lists the coast from Pārengarenga Harbour to Cape Rodney as closed to spiny rock lobster from 1 April 2026.

    Where can you shore dive around Tutukākā?

    The coast faces east, so the useful marks split between open rock for settled spells and harbour bays for the rest. Depths below are the ranges given for each mark, not a target depth, and none of these entries clears you of a boundary or closure check.

    SpotTypeDepthLevelAccessNotes
    Middle GableSteep stone point on Tutukākā Head5–14 mExperienced, settled spells onlyEntry off a rock shelf; dangerous with swellThe middle of the three gables, with the best visibility in the district on a south-westerly at around 8–12 m. Depth builds quickly off the stone, so treat it as a settled-forecast dive rather than a default.
    Church Bay (Tutukākā)Harbour bay with rock and weed edges3–9 mIntermediateInside Tutukākā Harbour, out of the ocean swellThis is the mark that still works in a big north-easterly. The bay is shallow with mud across the middle, so the structure worth diving is the rock and weed along the edges.
    Kowharewa BayHalf-sheltered bay with reef points3–9 mIntermediateSouth of the harbourSheltered from the north and open to the south-east, so it reads off the wind sector rather than the calendar. The reef points hold the ground and flat sand sits between them.
    Whau Point (Whangaumu South)Rock point with a boulder base4–12 mIntermediate to experiencedRock point on the south side of Whangaumu BayDepth comes close to shore here and there is current off the tip, so stay on the float. The point shelters its southern side, which makes it a fair call in a northerly swell.

    Do you need a licence to spearfish at Tutukākā?

    No. MPI states that you do not need a licence to fish in the sea around New Zealand, and spearfishing is a lawful recreational method — MPI's gear page names rubber-powered spearguns and slings plus compressed-gas pneumatic spearguns. What controls the day is the Auckland and Kermadec area table: a combined daily bag limit of 20 finfish per fisher, plus up to 50 baitfish and 6 freshwater eels on top. Three things cannot be speared anywhere in the country: crayfish, salmon and trout.

    Can you spearfish at the Poor Knights Islands?

    No. The Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve is one of the ten marine reserves MPI lists as closed to all fishing in this region, and DOC describes marine reserves as complete no-take areas where no fishing of any kind is allowed. Whangārei Harbour Marine Reserve carries the same status. Areas protected under the Conservation Act 1987 are also off-limits to spearfishing, so the Poor Knights trip out of Tutukākā is a look-only dive.

    What is on the Tutukākā species list?

    Snapper is the anchor: 7 per day at a 30 cm minimum on the SNA 1 east coast, which is the tighter of the two Auckland settings. Kingfish run 3 per day at 75 cm, and length is measured from the tip of the nose to the middle ray of the tail rather than to the fork — measuring to the fork over-reads a forked tail, so a legal-looking kingfish can still be undersized. Trevally has a 25 cm minimum and red moki a 40 cm minimum, both with no separate daily limit — the combined 20 is what stops you. Kahawai and John Dory carry no minimum length but still count against that 20. DOC's advice to spearfishers is blunt on one point: do not spear any grouper you cannot positively identify, because spotted black grouper is absolutely protected.

    What are the crayfish, pāua and kina rules here?

    Divers take crayfish by hand. Regulation 29(2) prohibits using a spear to take rock lobster or possessing any that have been speared, so a speared cray is an offence in itself. On top of that, MPI lists Pārengarenga Harbour to Cape Rodney as closed to spiny rock lobster from 1 April 2026 and Cape Rodney to Port Jackson from 1 April 2025, and the Rehuotane Ki Tai closure bans packhorse rock lobster from 26 June 2026 to 25 June 2028; telson clipping is required for spiny rock lobster taken between Te Arai Point and Cape Runaway. The Rehuotane Ki Tai closure also bans pāua from 26 June 2026 to 25 June 2028; outside the Rehuotane Ki Tai closure blackfoot pāua is 10 per day at a 125 mm minimum and yellowfoot pāua a separate 10 per day at an 80 mm minimum, free-diving only — underwater breathing apparatus is banned nationwide for taking or possessing pāua, and you may not even have one in the vehicle or on the boat. Kina sits at 150 per fisher per day in FMA 1.

    Which conditions and closures decide a Tutukākā plan?

    Work the wind sector first. The coast opens to the east, so a north-east through south-east flow is what puts the outer gables and the beach reefs into surf, and Church Bay or Kowharewa Bay inside the harbour become the fallback. Middle Gable is the south-westerly call. No local webcam is supplied for this coast, so wind direction, swell and recent weather are the read. Closures matter as much as the forecast: the Rehuotane Ki Tai closure (MPI notice 1999) runs from 26 June 2026 to 25 June 2028 over Tutukākā Harbour, Ngunguru Bay and the Ngunguru and Horahora rivers, out to about 3 nautical miles between Middle Gable and Paparoa, so all four marks in the table and Whangaumu Bay sit inside it; it bans taking pāua, packhorse rock lobster, garfish, mussel, crab, octopus, sea snail and other listed species, so check MPI's closure list before taking anything, and check again before each trip because these notices change several times a year.

    FAQ

    Do you need a licence to spearfish at Tutukākā?

    No. There is no recreational sea-fishing licence in New Zealand, but MPI Auckland and Kermadec rules, reserve boundaries and local closures still apply.

    Can you spearfish at the Poor Knights Islands?

    No. The Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve is a total no-take area, closed to all fishing including spearfishing.

    What is the snapper limit at Tutukākā?

    MPI lists SNA 1 east coast snapper at 7 per day with a 30 cm minimum, inside the combined 20-finfish daily limit.

    Can crayfish be speared here?

    No. Spearing a rock lobster, or possessing a speared one, is an offence. MPI also lists Pārengarenga Harbour to Cape Rodney as closed to spiny rock lobster from 1 April 2026.

    Is Whangaumu Bay open?

    Only in part: Whangaumu Bay lies inside the Rehuotane Ki Tai closure, which runs from 26 June 2026 to 25 June 2028 and bans taking pāua, packhorse rock lobster, garfish, mussel and other listed species. Check MPI's closure list before taking anything.

    Can pāua be taken on scuba?

    No. Underwater breathing apparatus is prohibited nationwide for taking or possessing pāua; free-diving only. The Rehuotane Ki Tai closure also bans pāua from 26 June 2026 to 25 June 2028.

    Which mark works in a big north-easterly?

    Church Bay inside Tutukākā Harbour is the described fallback, out of the ocean swell and shallow at 3–9 m.

    Sources

    • MPI, Auckland and Kermadec area fishing rules
    • MPI, rules for fishing gear, methods and measuring
    • DOC, New Zealand marine reserves
    • MPI, customary fisheries management areas, rules and maps

    Nearby towns

    • Leigh spearfishing guide
    • Spearfishing in Great Barrier Island
    • Spearfishing in Ahipara
    • Spearfishing in Auckland
    • Spearfishing in Whitianga
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