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New Plymouth - Coastal Walkway
New Plymouth, the nearest town, 2 km away. Photo: Gonzalobaeza, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Fitzroy Beach

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

37Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: too small (3 ft swell at 10 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 15 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
29kJ
Wind
N 7 kn
Temp
17°C

Tue 3 · 39 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
72kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
18°C

Wed 4 · 38 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
188kJ
Wind
ESE 1 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 44 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 ssoft
Energy
164kJ
Wind
ENE 7 kn
Temp
21°C

Fri 6 · 20 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
44kJ
Wind
NNE 8 kn
Temp
18°C

Sat 7 · 40 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 smushy
Energy
69kJ
Wind
WNW 5 kn
Temp
18°C

Sun 8 · 37 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
178kJ
Wind
W 7 kn
Temp
18°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 112, poor
  2. Mon 215, too small
  3. Tue 339, too small
  4. Wed 438, too small
  5. Thu 544, too small
  6. Fri 620, poor
  7. Sat 740, poor
  8. Sun 837, poor
  9. Mon 939, poor
  10. Tue 1037, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
  • Offshore: SEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–13 ftof swell
  • Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Fitzroy Beach, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov12, poor5 ft9 smushy3 ft at break (est.)412kJwind from the north-west, 9 knots15°C
Mon 2Nov15, too small3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)29kJwind from the north, 7 knots17°C
Tue 3Nov39, too small3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)72kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots18°C
Wed 4Nov38, too small3 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)188kJwind from the east-south-east, 1 knot, offshore19°C
Thu 5Nov44, too small3 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)164kJwind from the east-north-east, 7 knots21°C
Fri 6Nov20, poor3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.)44kJwind from the north-north-east, 8 knots18°C
Sat 7Nov40, poor3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)69kJwind from the west-north-west, 5 knots18°C
Sun 8Nov37, poor5 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)178kJwind from the west, 7 knots18°C
Mon 9Nov39, poor3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)157kJwind from the east-north-east, 9 knots19°C
Tue 10Nov37, poor4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)109kJwind from the north, 10 knots18°C
Wed 11Nov14, poor5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)155kJwind from the north-west, 16 knots17°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 02:38 +1.1 mLow 08:56 −1.2 mHigh 15:13 +1.2 mLow 21:40 −1.1 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 03:48 +1.0 mLow 10:05 −1.1 mHigh 16:25 +1.1 mLow 22:53 −1.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:07 +0.9 mLow 11:19 −1.0 mHigh 17:42 +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.

Map

the spot and its town

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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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Taranaki from New Plymouth, 3 km away

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More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Fitzroy Beach

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces NW (335°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (155°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.2 km out (1 in 123). 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 January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is New Plymouth, 1.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 9 surf spots.

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$1,630–US$3,120 each

about US$1,630–US$3,120 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to NPL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$837–US$1,740
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$20–US$33
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$342–US$563
Food7 days eating outabout US$301–US$563
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$134–US$221
Totalabout US$1,630–US$3,120

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: New Plymouth

Closest

New Plymouth

3 min by car · 45 places to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 45 places to stay in New Plymouth · Booking.com

About New Plymouth its beds, food and every spot near it

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 28h 50m

About 28h 50m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → NPL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 30 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.