Henderson Beach
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
7Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: too small (4 ft swell at 6 s), onshore wind, 12 kn (22 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 65kJ
- Wind
- NE 13 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 85kJ
- Wind
- NE 12 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 93kJ
- Wind
- E 13 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 71kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 42kJ
- Wind
- NNE 10 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- W 12 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 41kJ
- Wind
- N 9 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 16, too small
- Mon 26, too small
- Tue 310, too small
- Wed 45, too small
- Thu 59, too small
- Fri 65, too small
- Sat 78, too small
- Sun 83, too small
- Mon 94, too small
- Tue 106, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 5–19 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
Henderson Beach does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 6, too small | 2 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 90kJ | wind from the north-east, 11 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 6, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 65kJ | wind from the north-east, 13 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 10, too small | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 85kJ | wind from the north-east, 12 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 5, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 93kJ | wind from the east, 13 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 9, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 71kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 5, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 10 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | offshorewind from the west, 12 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | wind from the north, 9 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 4, too small | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 79kJ | wind from the north, 15 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 6, too small | 2 ft9 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | wind from the north-west, 11 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 13 knots | 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 NovHigh 00:37 +0.9 mLow 06:55 −1.0 mHigh 13:19 +1.0 mLow 19:35 −0.8 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:38 +0.8 mLow 07:55 −0.9 mHigh 14:21 +0.9 mLow 20:40 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:44 +0.7 mLow 09:00 −0.9 mHigh 15:25 +0.9 mLow 21:47 −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.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Henderson Beach 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Henderson Beach
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Henderson Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (44°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (224°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 5–19 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 16°C in July, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Houhora, 5.8 km away (about 10 min by car).
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$3,290 each
about US$1,740–US$3,290 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 KAT, 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 |
| 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$3,290 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Houhora
10 min by car
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Houhora 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 29h 25m
About 29h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → KAT, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h by road
Flights MDW → KAT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.