This is a pre-passage source and decision desk, not a current forecast or clearance to depart. The map is centred approximately on the area, not on your route or a forecast-zone boundary.
Coastal, reef, island and offshore products are not interchangeable. Compare the official warning with swell direction, local tide and exposed arrival before relying on any model-based route.
1. Primary sources
Open current bulletins and warnings for every sea area on the route. These links are starting points, not a promise that each covers the whole location; if unsure, identify the issuer through WMO–IMO.
2. Route and local effects
Sheltered gulf legs and offshore exits need different marine products.
A Hauraki Gulf trip can leave a protected shore for an exposed gulf reach or a channel by an island.
Use MetService marine warnings and the relevant gulf area; check tidal stream, squalls and the planned anchorage’s exposure separately.
How to use this source set
Start with the warning, then the marine text for the exact named area. If the route crosses a zone boundary, obtain both bulletins. Note issue and valid times, wind units and the meaning of wave height. Where a link opens an agency portal, navigate to its current marine product; a homepage is not itself a forecast.
Compare with an exposed station or buoy if available. Check its position and observation time: a sheltered station does not overturn a warning for an open channel. If a bulletin is missing or stale, identify the issuing service via WMO–IMO and defer the decision until current information is available.
Before-passage check
- Mark departure, exposed legs, arrival and feasible diversions; find the responsible named marine areas for each.
- Check warnings, issue and valid times; assess conditions when you expect to reach each leg, not only at departure.
- Compare wind and gusts, waves and swell, visibility, thunderstorms and local effects; do not infer a strait from a sheltered harbour.
- Compare recent observations where available, noting their time and exposure; a mismatch calls for another check.
- Set the next bulletin check, a reassessment trigger, an alternative and a backup communication channel.
Model map — optional
Windy is a third-party model display, not the issuer of official warnings. Choose a layer and check its valid hour and model run. Nothing loads until you click.
Without JavaScript, open the map separately.
If connectivity fails
Before departure, save the current official text bulletin and warning with issue time. Arrange another way to receive updates, such as an appropriate coastal broadcast, NAVTEX or satellite channel. A saved map cannot replace new warnings.
How to choose weather tools · All sailing areas
Scope: Source list assembled 25 September 2026; check its freshness and coverage before use. This public area guide is not a current personalised forecast, navigational notice service or safety verdict. Personalised forecasts with AI and experts are in closed testing; public booking is not open. The skipper makes the decision.
Waitematā, inner Gulf and outer departure need different scales
For an Auckland-based trip, identify the harbour departure, inner-Gulf leg and any continuation toward Great Barrier or the open coast. MetService separates inshore, coastal and high-seas responsibilities; use the actual product boundary, not the nearest city page. Its service description is a coverage guide, not today's marine issue. Obtain the current warning and complete forecast before comparing the exposed stages or fixing a departure time.
- MetService marine service coverage — Separate inshore, coastal and high-seas responsibilities; consult current boundary definitions.
- MetService marine forecasts — NZ marine access is script-rendered here; current full bulletin not read in this extraction. Direct product verification is limited; obtain the current issue from the issuer.
Tide heights and channel streams are not the same prediction
Use LINZ's tide information for the specific reference location and check the time convention, including daylight-saving treatment. Do not interpret a high-water listing as slack in every Gulf channel. Keep the forecast wind and destination exposure separate from depth and stream assumptions; missing local current information remains a gap. A harbour observation does not establish the sea state farther out in the Gulf.
- LINZ tide predictions — Port-specific heights/times with daylight-saving and publication caveats; not all stream phases. Direct product verification is limited; obtain the current issue from the issuer.
- MetService marine service coverage
Compare the outward island leg with its return
For a Waiheke or outer-Gulf outing, test the return after slower progress or a change in direction rather than copying the outward conditions. If the revised arrival loses the planned light or the destination's protection, reconsider the stop before leaving a checked alternative. Keep a current marine update route in the plan; a long-range model table or an Auckland land forecast cannot replace the next applicable warning.
Editorial review of this material: 27 September 2026. This date concerns the page content; check current forecast issue times and validity at the original sources.