To check the tides

Waikawa Beach high tide by the Miratana Track on 09 July 2018.
Waikawa Beach high tide by the Miratana Track on 09 July 2018.

If you want to venture down to the beach — on foot or with a vehicle — it can be very handy to know what the tide’s doing.

My go-to is Tidespy: Tides at a glance - Waikawa Beach.

It also helps to know what the swell is like, as a big swell is more likely to push the sea further into shore. If there’s also a westerly gale then you can guarantee some high tides.

Tidespy has several tabs of information.

Graph shows tide heights as curves.
The graph gives a good indication of tide height, and it’s easy to see the time of day for high and low. (Whale not included.)
It's full moon today.
It's full moon today.
The Tabular view gives actual times and heights of high and low tides. A 3.6 metre tide is quite high.
The Tabular view gives actual times and heights of high and low tides. A 3.6 metre tide is quite high.
A 3.7 metre swell in open sea and Strong SW wind make a good chance of the water coming well up the beach and filling the estuary.
A 3.7 metre swell in open sea and Strong SW wind make a good chance of the water coming well up the beach and filling the estuary.
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