Blackhead
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
47Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 9 s
Mon 2 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tue 3 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 200kJ
- Wind
- NE 9 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Wed 4 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 226kJ
- Wind
- NE 9 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Thu 5 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 88kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 50kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sun 8 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 120kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 161, good
- Mon 217, too small
- Tue 357, fair
- Wed 467, good
- Thu 540, too small
- Fri 648, fair
- Sat 722, too small
- Sun 838, too small
- Mon 925, poor
- Tue 1048, fair
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
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 | 61, good | 4 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 191kJ | offshorewind from the north, 11 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 17, too small | 1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 57, fair | 4 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 200kJ | wind from the north-east, 9 knots | 13°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 67, good | 4 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 226kJ | wind from the north-east, 9 knots | 13°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 40, too small | 3 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 88kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 14°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 38, too small | 2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 120kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 14°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 25, poor | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 15 knots | 12°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 48, fair | 4 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 97kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 41, too small | 2 ft7 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | wind from the north-east, 1 knot | 12°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 NovLow 02:16 −0.8 mHigh 08:40 +0.9 mLow 14:58 −0.8 mHigh 21:08 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:21 −0.8 mHigh 09:45 +0.8 mLow 16:02 −0.8 mHigh 22:13 +0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:26 −0.9 mHigh 10:48 +0.8 mLow 17:03 −0.8 mHigh 23:15 +0.8 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
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 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
Blackhead 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
5 places
- Secret Spot 4.3 km away
- St Clair 5.2 km away
- St Kilda Beach 7.6 km away
- Brighton 7.9 km away
- Brighton Beach 7.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Blackhead
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (168°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (348°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 14). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 10°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 15°C in February, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Dunedin, 6.8 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 13°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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$1,700–US$3,250 each
about US$1,700–US$3,250 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 DUD, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$871–US$1,820 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$54–US$87 |
| 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$1,700–US$3,250 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
12 min by car · 34 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Dunedin its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Mosgiel on Booking.com
17 min by car · 5 places to stay
- Beds in Port Chalmers on Booking.com
34 min by car · 4 places to stay
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 30h 10m
About 30h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → DUD, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 45 min by road
Flights MDW → DUD on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.