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Haast Beach
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
36Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 4 ft swell at 7 s
Mon 2 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 841kJ
- Wind
- NW 10 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Tue 3 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 142kJ
- Wind
- NE 12 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Wed 4 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 239kJ
- Wind
- ENE 12 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Thu 5 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 88kJ
- Wind
- NE 13 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Fri 6 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 115kJ
- Wind
- NE 14 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sat 7 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 181kJ
- Wind
- W 6 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sun 8 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 442kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 115, poor
- Mon 20, too big
- Tue 342, poor
- Wed 444, poor
- Thu 529, too small
- Fri 617, poor
- Sat 753, fair
- Sun 828, poor
- Mon 953, fair
- Tue 1040, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
Haast Beach does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 15, poor | 3 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 145kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 17 knots | 13°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft8 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 841kJ | wind from the north-west, 10 knots | 14°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 42, poor | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 142kJ | wind from the north-east, 12 knots | 14°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 44, poor | 4 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 239kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 12 knots | 15°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 29, too small | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 88kJ | wind from the north-east, 13 knots | 15°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 17, poor | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 115kJ | wind from the north-east, 14 knots | 15°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 53, fair | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 181kJ | wind from the west, 6 knots | 14°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 28, poor | 5 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 442kJ | wind from the north-east, 6 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 53, fair | 4 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 284kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 9 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 40, poor | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 85kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 13°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 53, fair | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 11°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 04:18 +0.9 mLow 10:28 −0.8 mHigh 16:43 +0.9 mLow 23:09 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:28 +0.8 mLow 11:38 −0.8 mHigh 17:55 +0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 00:22 −0.9 mHigh 06:41 +0.8 mLow 12:52 −0.8 mHigh 19:08 +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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 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 Mon 2 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, its town, photos
Haast Beach on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: 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.
Photos of Haast Beach
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Haast Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (322°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (142°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 750 m out (1 in 76). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Haast, 4.5 km away (about 10 min by car).
Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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$1,790–US$3,400 each
about US$1,790–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 ZQN, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$878–US$1,820 |
| 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$1,790–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: Haast
8 min by car · 4 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Haast 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 32h
About 32h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → ZQN, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 2h 35m by road
Flights MDW → ZQN on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.