Dinner Plates
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
49Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- W 14 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Tue 3 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 234kJ
- Wind
- W 9 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Wed 4 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 215kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 95kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 60kJ
- Wind
- WSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 183kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 298kJ
- Wind
- W 2 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 137, too small
- Mon 215, too small
- Tue 346, fair
- Wed 471, good
- Thu 540, too small
- Fri 627, too small
- Sat 737, poor
- Sun 863, good
- Mon 941, poor
- Tue 1018, too small
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 12 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
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 | 37, too small | 3 ft8 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 14 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the west, 14 knots | 14°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 46, fair | 5 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 234kJ | wind from the west, 9 knots | 14°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 71, good | 4 ft8 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 215kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 40, too small | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 37, poor | 3 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 183kJ | wind from the south-east, 5 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 63, good | 4 ft10 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 298kJ | wind from the west, 2 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 41, poor | 3 ft10 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 200kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots | 14°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft10 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 71kJ | wind from the south, 7 knots | 13°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 30, too small | 3 ft10 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 160kJ | wind from the south, 11 knots | 8°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 01:27 −0.9 mHigh 07:49 +0.9 mLow 14:06 −0.9 mHigh 20:18 +0.8 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:34 −0.9 mHigh 08:56 +0.9 mLow 15:12 −0.9 mHigh 21:26 +0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:41 −1.0 mHigh 10:03 +0.9 mLow 16:16 −0.9 mHigh 22:31 +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.
Map
the spot and its town
Dinner Plates 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
2 places
- Haldanes 2.3 km away
- Porpoise Bay 7.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Dinner Plates
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (172°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (352°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 32). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 11°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 14°C in January, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Slope Point. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 12°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. 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$1,800–US$3,400 each
about US$1,800–US$3,400 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 IVC, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$884–US$1,830 |
| 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$1,800–US$3,400 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Slope Point
3 min by car
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Slope Point its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest town: Slope Point, 2 km (about 5 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 30h 55m
About 30h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → IVC, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 20m by road
Flights MDW → IVC on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.