Is it worth the trip?
12Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 5 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- N 11 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tue 3 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 26kJ
- Wind
- NNE 9 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 26kJ
- Wind
- ENE 10 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 64kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 43kJ
- Wind
- NNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 43kJ
- Wind
- NNW 11 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- WNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 13, too small
- Mon 24, too small
- Tue 33, too small
- Wed 45, too small
- Thu 526, too small
- Fri 610, too small
- Sat 710, too small
- Sun 89, too small
- Mon 93, too small
- Tue 106, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best Feb–Mar1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the north, 11 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 4, too small | 2 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the north, 11 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft11 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 9 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 5, too small | 2 ft5 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 10 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 26, too small | 4 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 64kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 10, too small | 3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 10, too small | 3 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 11 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft6 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 3, too small | 2 ft6 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | wind from the north-east, 9 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 6, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 17 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft7 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 14 knots, offshore | 18°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 06:08 −1.0 mHigh 12:30 +1.0 mLow 18:45 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:51 +0.8 mLow 07:06 −1.0 mHigh 13:29 +0.9 mLow 19:46 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 01:53 +0.8 mLow 08:07 −0.9 mHigh 14:31 +0.9 mLow 20:50 −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 Feb–Mar
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 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
Great Barrier Is. - Okiwi on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Great Barrier Is. - Okiwi
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (120°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (300°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 27). 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 beginners the best months are usually February and March, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. Port Jackson, 35 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest place to stay we found: Mount Saint Paul Estate, Aotea Great Barrier, 5 km. Nearest beds: Whangapoua, 57 km. Nearest airport: Auckland International Airport (AKL), 108 km.
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$1,400–US$2,730 each
about US$1,400–US$2,730 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 |
| 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$1,400–US$2,730 |
No town nearby, so no stay is in it. For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: nearest beds 57 km away
No town nearby
Port Jackson, 35 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest place to stay we found: Mount Saint Paul Estate, Aotea Great Barrier, 5 km. Nearest beds: Whangapoua, 57 km. Nearest airport: Auckland International Airport (AKL), 108 km.
See places to stay near Whangapoua, 57 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 27h
About 27h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 2h 10m by road
Flights MDW → AKL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.