2 Hour Surf Lesson - Te Arai Beach

We booked four days of private lessons with Maya and couldn’t have asked for a better instructor. She handled different levels with ease — from beginner to intermediate — and was wonderful with our 7-year-old daughter who was just starting. Thanks to her great advice and sharp eye, we all got up and caught waves. Big thanks to Maya!

Get experience if you have never tried surfing before It was safe and fun. If you can’t swim you will only need to go to waist deep water The instructor were excellent

My 10.5 year old son loved his 2 hour surfing lesson. He was grouped with other children and had a kind and enthusiastic instructor. She gave lots of high-5s and he was so proud of his progress! He said it was his favourite activity of the trip. We loved the gorgeous location!

I recently took a beginner surf lesson in Aotearoa, and it was an amazing experience! My instructor, Corne, was incredibly patient and supportive, making the session both fun and easy to follow. Thanks to his guidance, I felt confident and had a great time catching waves. I highly recommend this class to anyone looking to try surfing—it was an absolute joy!

Putting the skills I learned from the trainer into action by standing up on the board was the highlight and know having the skills to feel confident enough to hire a board anywhere I go.

i did this lesson with a couple of girlfriends and it was my first time ever trying to surf, so i was pretty unconfident beforehand. i found the lesson so helpful and really boosted my confidence, and by the end of it i managed to get up on the board. it was amazing! i cant remember the names of our instructors, sorry, but they were truly fantastic. if you're a first timer or even just want to brush up on your skills, like one of my friends did, i highly recommend Aotearoa Surf School! what an awesome service you guys provide. keep up the great work.

Myself and some girlfriends came and did a 2hrs surf lesson over the peak season. Che and the coaches were super friendly and helpful, my gals who have never tried surfing before were up riding waves! Was the time of our lives and most definitely a day to remember. Thanks so much to Che and the team for making this happen 🙏

Had the absolute best experience with the Aoteroa Surf School team. It was really well organised, Ophe was an awesome instructor and made sure everyone was looked after during the lessons. Highly recommend this for anyone looking to try surfing, was well worth the drive from Auckland. Che helped me with the purchase of a board from them. He was so knowledgeable and honest in his advice guiding me to the right board for me. 10/10 recommend.

I'd like to single out Ollie who was a great coach, demonstrating moves that we can only hope to emulate, but he can isolate your areas to work on, and does everything with a huge smile on his face. Hannah and Nathan were also amazing. I had two group lessons. The first with 19 people, which left me a bit frustrated though I had learned some basics. The second, there were just two of us, at Mangawhai, and we had such a great time in messy surf; I left feeling totally elated. I'd highly recommend Ollie as a coach and the whole operation which is very professional.

Fantastic location at TeArai. Team made this day fun and enjoyable. Jason was full of enthusiasm - catching. Everything provided, felt safe, photos a gem. Would recommend

Well Organised. Excellent equipment. Friendly staff, Andrew was great. We all enjoyed it. Thanks. Would be happy to go again.

Fantastic location to learn to surf! Staff were great - really friendly, helpful and genuinely interested in seeing you enjoy yourself and catch some waves! We had a great time and are keen to get back for another lesson soon!

Wow what an awesome experience. I booked a two hour surf lesson for my husband's birthday. We took our two kids and had an amazing time. The staff are friendly and informative. Definitely would recommend. Very good value for your money. Absolutely loved it.

Awesome day for a surf lesson! The instructors were really great and experienced. I really enjoyed learning the surfing lingo (lull). We did the 2 hour surf lesson with Cody and a blonde guy.

Great instructors Andrew and Steve! It was a relatively small group 5 of us my girlfriends and I totally enjoyed it! We took the extra 2 hour add on after the lesson and managed to stand up quite a few times! Awesome stuff, boards to come next 🤘🏻

A great activity to include as part of our hen's doo celebrations. Friendly/knowledgable instructors, beautiful location, and lots of fun! Thanks :-)

Twice two hours of lessons and I managed to catch quite a few waves standing up. The first day was frustrating, the second was great. Steve and Cam are excellent teachers, especially to help you make next steps.

Me and my friend took a two hour surfing lesson. Because of the weather we had the whole beach for ourselves. The waves were just right for beginners like us and our trainer was super nice and friendly. After just half an hour both of us stood on the board already. Despite the cold it was a super amazing experience and a lot of fun.

We cruised up from Auckland to celebrate my sons's 10th birthday with a lesson as he has always wanted to surf. The kids hadn't surfed before and all were standing up easily during the lesson - the littlest one even managed a 180 on the board! He had the most amazing day and said it was the best birthday ever! Thanks guys for helping make this a special day for our family.

I had a 2 hour lesson with Cam on Thursday and the instruction was so good I was consistently standing up within an hour. Was given constant tips. On Friday I rented a board and suit for a half day, the equipment they have is very high quality. When I was down on the water one of the guys from the shop happened to be down with another lesson but still shouted tips out to me because he recognised me and remembered my name, which is a small detail but it shows they care about what they do.

Fantastic friendly instructors who ensure everyone is having a great time in the water and improving throughout the lessons. Any time I've been here everyone is standing up before they leave and making progress throughout the lesson. Absolutely recommend regardless of age and previous experience, you'll come away more confident and wanting to try it again soon.

The team at Aotearoa Surf is excellent and they really made our surf trip enjoyable. Che is great and really accommodating: we kept changing our plans and really messing up his schedule but he took it in stride and rolled with it. We really appreciate it, Che!! Go visit his place and shop, it's amazing.

Extremely awesome. The staff are helpful and knowledgeable. The whole experience was a pleasure. I would strongly recommend this surf school to anyone who has an interest in learning to surf.

My son Toby has had several lessons with Aotearoa Surf. Che and his team are super friendly coaches and great with the kids. Toby’s had a great couple of days this school holidays - thanks for contributing to his enthusiasm to surf! We will be back for more 🏄🏽‍♂️🏄🏽‍♂️

We had a wonderful day and a great experience. The team was amazing and helpful and created a chilled atmosphere. I recommend it!!

the lesson was amazing. We had a lot of fun. The waves were bigger than usual but was good. The instructor was quit professional

Booked last minute but no problem with availability (maybe something to do with it being winter!) But no problem, weather appropriate wetsuits and boards provided. Che sorted everything and sent me on down to the beautiful undeveloped beach a short drive away to wait for the rest of the group which turned out to be just myself and one other! After a quick but thorough run down on safety in and around the water we learnt techniques on the sand before getting straight on into the water where I immediately forgot all that Che had just taught me. I think I spent more time in the water than on top of it but Che was relentless in his optimism and encouragement to get me on my feet - the man had the patience of a saint! Would highly recommend this session. I have caught the bug and am determined to continue despite being back in London. Very sad that I did this class on my last day before leaving as I would have loved to do another!

Came with my little sister for our first surf lesson, and it’s was so great! Manage to stand only after a few try, thanks to the teacher who is really great! Can’t wait to go back surfing now

The lesson was great for beginners, we went over all the basics quickly before getting in the water. Class size was good on the day [only 6 people] so had enough 1 on 1 time with Che. Great value too as it included wet suit, board and lesson for only $70 Beach was beautiful.

We had a fantastic first ever surf lesson! Our instructor made everything easy. He was super energetic. This is a perfect learning beach with gentle waves in the middle of paradise. The views are awesome. The sand is beautiful all of the way out into the ocean. I'm coming back for more.

Surf school located close to Te Arai/Forestry beach. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff and good advice on board size and wetsuit. Wide range to choose from! Would recommended it 100% and will be back :)

It was a great day out in the surf. Was my first time ever surfing but was up and standing on my first run thanks to Che the instructors great tuition. Was a blast and will be back again!

I was just passing through the area so I only had time for one private lesson. I chose to go to their home beach, Te Arai. Beautiful spot, almost no buildings on the shore so it feels like being out on a wild beach. The class was just perfect from Start to Finish. The instructor had a throrough Interview with me to determine my skill level. We started on the beach, then in to the whitewash, and after he saw my pop-up was solid went directly into the green water. Shane really had a plan what he wanted me to learn (easy turning, wave reading/selection), and did a grest job. In the end I was given the option of having some fotos taken (no pressure, if you don’t like them, you don’t pay), which I did. If I get to return to Auckland/Northland, I will definitely take more classes with Shane! Thanks, mate!

Make sure you don’t have a lesson at low tide! The surf is rubbish and you will be disappointed 😔 Other times surf is great!

I had the honor of having my lesson with Che. As a beginner, he gave me great tips and insight to getting to the next level. The more you know the better you will get. With the team at Aeoteroa Surf, you can be confident of a fun time and great instructors. Worth every penny.

Had an amazing day at the te arai beach.We were 2 of us and had the best day of my life surfing..The instructor Tiana was really nice and helped a lot .I was in a motion of surfing after couple of small injuries..The last 30 min of the drive is really nice as it is a delight to the eyes..complete green and never ending farmlands.

This was the second time my son and I have had a lesson with Aotearoa surf. They’re awesome to deal with. Highly recommended

A friend and I had a two hour private lesson with Che and Leo and then hired the boards for two hours after. We had a fantastic time and appreciated the experience, support and enthusiasm our instructors showed!

Outstanding surf lesson! Instructors were super friendly and gave some great advise for a first timer. Will definitely make the trip up for another surf lesson with Aotearoa Surf School!!

Did a private lesson with Shay, 2 hours. I am a beginner trying to progress into catching green waves. We went out the back he taught me how to pop up correctly, timing on catching waves etc. was awesome to have an expert in the water with me. Highly recommend

Was an awesome session, the young girl at the start was super friendly and Che was good to deal with and made progressing easy. Had a great day, will be back!

Great day learning to surf with Shay, first time ever on a board and I was standing in minutes, great instructor, defiantly worth the trip if you want a great surf lesson, SHAKA BRA to Aotearoa Surf School 🤙🏼

I took 2 hours lesson at 11 am which was my first time to learn surfing. Weather was great so we all jumped into wetsuits and got first intro from instructors. Both guys Kacper and Che were excellent. 2 hours passed quickly and that was a lots of fun. For sure will try surfing again !

Te Arai is the perfect spot if you're learning to surf and Aotearoa surf is the perfect company to help you on your journey! I've been on a 2 hours group lesson, a 2 person private lessons and hired out boards four times since then. Shay always makes sure you have a good experience and helps you at whatever stage you're at on your journey - highly recommend!!

First time surfing- it was so much fun. Thanks guys! Great instructors and a well organised set up. Thank you!

Great experience for a hens do - lots of fun, great instructors :) All the girls greatly enjoyed the day and most got to their feet by the end of the session!

Great lesson. Had my 9 year old standing up for a good 20 seconds on his first lesson. He's hooked now.

Considering most of the team had never stepped foot on a surfboard, to have us all standing by the end of the lesson was no mean feat. Used as a team bonding experience, we couldn't recommend Aotearoa Surf Lessons enough. Thanks guys and looking forward to hiring gear next time we're out!

We booked a kid's surfing party for a group of eight children (age 6-9); and they absolutely loved their surfing experience! Both staff members were really lovely with the kids (particularly with the ones a little more nervous or less confident in the water). All of them were able to stand up on their boards by the end of the lesson. Lovely beach and setting - and would highly recommend Aotearoa Surf for lessons.