Cray bay
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
42Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 3 ft swell at 6 s
Tue 3 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 157kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 209kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 31kJ
- Wind
- NNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 55kJ
- Wind
- NNE 6 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sun 8 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 83kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 38kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 247, fair
- Tue 316, too small
- Wed 432, too small
- Thu 544, poor
- Fri 638, poor
- Sat 751, fair
- Sun 853, fair
- Mon 930, too small
- Tue 1029, poor
- Wed 1137, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best Apr–May, Aug, Oct2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Cray bay does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 90kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 32, too small | 3 ft10 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 157kJ | wind from the north-east, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 44, poor | 3 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 209kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 8 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 38, poor | 3 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 51, fair | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 55kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots | 22°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 53, fair | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 38kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 29, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 86kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 13 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 37, poor | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 92kJ | wind from the north, 15 knots | 22°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
- Mon 2 NovLow 05:49 −0.8 mHigh 12:06 +0.8 mLow 18:28 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:37 +0.7 mLow 06:47 −0.8 mHigh 13:04 +0.8 mLow 19:25 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 01:36 +0.7 mLow 07:46 −0.7 mHigh 14:03 +0.8 mLow 20:23 −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
best Apr–May, Aug, Oct
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
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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
Cray bay on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
4 places
- Ocean beach 10.8 km away
- Mangakuri 15.5 km away
- Northen, ocean beach 22 km away
- Teawanga 23.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cray bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (118°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (298°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 54). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in September, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May, August and October, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Waimārama, 6.5 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$1,740–US$3,290 each
about US$1,740–US$3,290 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 NPE, 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 |
| 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$1,740–US$3,290 |
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
about 15 min by car · 2 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Waimārama its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Te Awanga on Booking.com
about 40 min by car · 4 places to stay
- Beds in Haumoana on Booking.com
about 50 min by car · 6 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 29h 35m
About 29h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → NPE, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 05m by road
Flights MDW → NPE on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.