Is it worth the trip?
45Fair out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 79kJ
- Wind
- N 15 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 107kJ
- Wind
- N 14 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 294kJ
- Wind
- N 10 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 267kJ
- Wind
- NNE 13 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 62kJ
- Wind
- N 17 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 164kJ
- Wind
- W 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 smushy
- Energy
- 509kJ
- Wind
- WNW 14 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 10, too big
- Mon 223, too small
- Tue 337, poor
- Wed 459, fair
- Thu 559, fair
- Fri 617, poor
- Sat 754, fair
- Sun 814, poor
- Mon 975, good
- Tue 1038, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft10 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 795kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 17 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 79kJ | wind from the north, 15 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 37, poor | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 107kJ | wind from the north, 14 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 59, fair | 4 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 294kJ | wind from the north, 10 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 59, fair | 4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 267kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 13 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 17, poor | 3 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 62kJ | wind from the north, 17 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 164kJ | wind from the west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 14, poor | 4 ft12 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 509kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 14 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 75, good | 4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 317kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 18 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 38, poor | 4 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 275kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 16 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 61, good | 3 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 148kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 10 knots, offshore | 15°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 02:44 +1.1 mLow 09:03 −1.2 mHigh 15:21 +1.2 mLow 21:47 −1.1 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:56 +1.0 mLow 10:13 −1.1 mHigh 16:34 +1.1 mLow 23:02 −1.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:16 +0.9 mLow 11:30 −1.0 mHigh 17:52 +1.1 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Arawahata Road on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
3 places
- op 5.4 km away
- Puniho road 5.7 km away
- Green Meadows 12.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Arawahata Road
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (233°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (53°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 850 m out (1 in 87). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Ōpunake, 7.1 km away (about 15 min by car).
Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,750–US$3,310 each
about US$1,750–US$3,310 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to NPL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$837–US$1,740 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$134–US$228 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$342–US$563 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$301–US$563 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$221 |
| Total | about US$1,750–US$3,310 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
12 min by car
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Ōpunake its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Mahoe on Booking.com
57 min by car
About US$127 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 29h 40m
About 29h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → NPL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 20m by road
Flights MDW → NPL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.