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Cape Reinga
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
21Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 5 ft swell at 6 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 301kJ
- Wind
- NE 16 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 134kJ
- Wind
- NE 12 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 166kJ
- Wind
- ENE 10 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 366kJ
- Wind
- NW 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 56kJ
- Wind
- N 14 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 285kJ
- Wind
- W 14 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 316kJ
- Wind
- WNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 140, poor
- Mon 26, too small
- Tue 312, too small
- Wed 431, too small
- Thu 522, too small
- Fri 64, too small
- Sat 724, poor
- Sun 820, poor
- Mon 910, too small
- Tue 1022, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best Nov–Jan1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 40, poor | 9 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1,639kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 8 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 6, too small | 4 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 301kJ | wind from the north-east, 16 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 12, too small | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 134kJ | wind from the north-east, 12 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 31, too small | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 166kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 10 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 22, too small | 4 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 366kJ | wind from the north-west, 5 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 4, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | wind from the north, 14 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 24, poor | 6 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 285kJ | wind from the west, 14 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 20, poor | 6 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 316kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 10, too small | 5 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 470kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 9 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 22, too small | 6 ft10 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 601kJ | wind from the north-west, 11 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 9, too small | 5 ft10 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 449kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 19 knots | 17°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 01:13 +0.9 mLow 07:28 −1.1 mHigh 13:54 +1.0 mLow 20:08 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 02:17 +0.8 mLow 08:31 −1.0 mHigh 15:00 +1.0 mLow 21:16 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:28 +0.8 mLow 09:39 −0.9 mHigh 16:09 +0.9 mLow 22:27 −0.9 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
best Nov–Jan
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
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 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, its town, photos
Cape Reinga on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Cape Reinga
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cape Reinga
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (343°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (163°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 15). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, November and December, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. Houhora, 56 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Pukenui, 60 km. Nearest airport: Kaitaia Airport (KAT), 91 km.
Water about 17°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$1,390–US$2,730 each
about US$1,390–US$2,730 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 KAT, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$824–US$1,720 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$134–US$228 |
| 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$1,390–US$2,730 |
No town nearby, so no stay is in it. For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: nearest beds 60 km away
No town nearby
Houhora, 56 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Pukenui, 60 km. Nearest airport: Kaitaia Airport (KAT), 91 km.
See places to stay near Pukenui, 60 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 30h 15m
About 30h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → KAT, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 55m by road
Flights MDW → KAT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.