Is it worth the trip?
59Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 10 s, 4 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 s
- Energy
- 46kJ
- Wind
- N 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 s
- Energy
- 137kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 84 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 s
- Energy
- 231kJ
- Wind
- NE 21 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 s
- Energy
- 130kJ
- Wind
- NE 8 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 s
- Energy
- 93kJ
- Wind
- NNE 18 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 s
- Energy
- 126kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 s
- Energy
- 68kJ
- Wind
- NE 10 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 275, good
- Tue 328, too small
- Wed 451, fair
- Thu 584, good
- Fri 650, fair
- Sat 763, good
- Sun 859, fair
- Mon 937, too small
- Tue 1034, too small
- Wed 1138, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 75, good | 3 ft9 s5 ft at break (est.) | 169kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft9 s3 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | offshorewind from the north, 9 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 51, fair | 3 ft10 s4 ft at break (est.) | 137kJ | wind from the north-east, 6 knots | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 84, good | 4 ft10 s5 ft at break (est.) | 231kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 21 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 50, fair | 3 ft9 s4 ft at break (est.) | 130kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 63, good | 4 ft6 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 93kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 18 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 59, fair | 4 ft6 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 126kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 37, too small | 2 ft10 s3 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 10 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft10 s3 ft at break (est.) | 61kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 20 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 38, too small | 2 ft9 s3 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 13 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 05:56 −0.8 mHigh 12:15 +0.8 mLow 18:35 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:43 +0.7 mLow 06:54 −0.8 mHigh 13:13 +0.8 mLow 19:33 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 01:42 +0.7 mLow 07:54 −0.8 mHigh 14:11 +0.8 mLow 20:32 −0.7 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
- 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
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec2of 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
Hardings road 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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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Hardings road
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (177°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (357°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea is about 14°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). No town nearby. Māhia, 42 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Wairoa, 66 km. Nearest airport: Hawke's Bay Airport (NPE), 89 km.
Water about 16°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$1,390–US$2,730 each
about US$1,390–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 NPE, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$824–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$1,390–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 66 km away
No town nearby
Māhia, 42 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Wairoa, 66 km. Nearest airport: Hawke's Bay Airport (NPE), 89 km.
See places to stay near Wairoa, 66 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 30h 20m
About 30h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → NPE, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 50m by road
Flights MDW → NPE on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.