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Forestry
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
34Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 6 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 65kJ
- Wind
- NNE 12 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 97kJ
- Wind
- NE 12 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 110kJ
- Wind
- NNE 6 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 66kJ
- Wind
- N 10 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 54kJ
- Wind
- WNW 13 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 41kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 106kJ
- Wind
- N 15 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 227, poor
- Tue 325, poor
- Wed 434, poor
- Thu 544, poor
- Fri 617, too small
- Sat 752, fair
- Sun 823, too small
- Mon 99, poor
- Tue 1045, fair
- Wed 1151, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Jan–Feb2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 27, poor | 3 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the north-east, 11 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 25, poor | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 65kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 12 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 34, poor | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 97kJ | wind from the north-east, 12 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 44, poor | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 110kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 17, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 66kJ | wind from the north, 10 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 52, fair | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 54kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 9, poor | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 106kJ | wind from the north, 15 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | wind from the north-west, 7 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 51, fair | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft9 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | offshorewind from the west, 11 knots, offshore | 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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:06 +0.9 mLow 07:23 −1.0 mHigh 13:45 +1.0 mLow 20:04 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:09 +0.8 mLow 08:25 −0.9 mHigh 14:47 +0.9 mLow 21:08 −0.9 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:16 +0.8 mLow 09:30 −0.9 mHigh 15:51 +0.9 mLow 22:12 −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 Jan–Feb
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 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
Forestry 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.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More surf near here
4 places
- Te Arai Point 1 km away
- Bagents 3.6 km away
- Langs beach 17.6 km away
- Waipu Cove 21.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Forestry
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (59°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (239°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 43). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January and February, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Mangawhai. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$3,300 each
about US$1,740–US$3,300 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to AKL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$832–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$564 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$302–US$564 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$221 |
| Total | about US$1,740–US$3,300 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 20 min by car · 10 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Mangawhai its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Leigh on Booking.com
about 35 min by car · 3 places to stay
- Beds in Waipu Cove on Booking.com
about 35 min by car · 5 places to stay
Nearest beds: Mangawhai, 11 km (about 20 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 26h 45m
About 26h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 1h 55m by road
Flights MDW → AKL on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.