Wave measurements were made for 3 years from a buoy moored in 34 m water depth off the Katikati inlet in the western Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. The significant wave heights were less than 1 m for 70% of the time, with a mean of 0.8 m, and a maximum of 4.3 m. The peak in the spectral density occurred each year at 0.09–0.10 Hz (10–11 s period). Wave steepness suggests that many of the measured waves originated close to the buoy. The year‐to‐year uniformity in averaged spectral density masks considerable short‐term variability although there is some evidence of higher wave energy in winter. Most wave energy arrived from the north‐east to east sector. Calculations of the longshore wave energy flux factor suggest that the direction of littoral drift fluctuates frequently, but during the 3 years studied there was a small nett drift in a north‐west direction. Significantly less wave energy was measured at Katikati than in previous studies at Great Barrier Island and Hicks Bay. Our Katikati wave data may not be typical of the long‐term climate, because they were obtained in El Nino conditions when fewer storms occur.