Goat Island Reef
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
34Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 6 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 21kJ
- Wind
- NNE 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 65kJ
- Wind
- NNE 12 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 74kJ
- Wind
- ENE 12 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 95kJ
- Wind
- N 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 46kJ
- Wind
- N 12 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 58kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- NW 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 11, too small
- Mon 214, too small
- Tue 330, poor
- Wed 429, poor
- Thu 553, fair
- Fri 612, too small
- Sat 745, fair
- Sun 816, too small
- Mon 96, too small
- Tue 109, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Jan–Mar1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 1, too small | 1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the north, 13 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 9 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 30, poor | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 65kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 12 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 29, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 74kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 12 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 53, fair | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 12, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | wind from the north, 12 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | wind from the north-west, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 6, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the north-east, 11 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the north, 18 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | wind from the north-west, 14 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 00:05 +1.0 mLow 06:23 −1.1 mHigh 12:43 +1.1 mLow 19:00 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:04 +0.9 mLow 07:21 −1.1 mHigh 13:42 +1.0 mLow 20:02 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:07 +0.8 mLow 08:23 −1.0 mHigh 14:45 +1.0 mLow 21:06 −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–Mar
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, 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
- 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
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Goat Island Reef 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
5 places
- Daniels Reef 3.4 km away
- Pakiri 5.7 km away
- Pakiri beach 5.7 km away
- Hubbards reef 9.9 km away
- T Reef 11.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Goat Island Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (4°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (184°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 52). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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 beginners the best months are usually January, February and March, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Leigh, 2.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
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 30 October 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$831–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$3,300 |
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
5 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Leigh its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Matakana on Booking.com
20 min by car · 7 places to stay
- Beds in Mangawhai on Booking.com
47 min by car · 10 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 26h 30m
About 26h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 1h 40m by road
Flights MDW → AKL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.