Hickory Bay
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
39Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 3 ft swell at 10 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 38kJ
- Wind
- NNW 16 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tue 3 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 61kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Wed 4 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 181kJ
- Wind
- N 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 99kJ
- Wind
- NNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 128kJ
- Wind
- NNW 12 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 49kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 62kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 163, good
- Mon 220, too small
- Tue 316, too small
- Wed 463, good
- Thu 538, too small
- Fri 647, fair
- Sat 730, too small
- Sun 823, too small
- Mon 940, poor
- Tue 1062, good
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Hickory Bay 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 | 63, good | 4 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 184kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 11 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 38kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 16 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 61kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 63, good | 3 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 181kJ | wind from the north, 5 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 38, too small | 3 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 99kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 47, fair | 5 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 128kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 12 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 30, too small | 3 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft12 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 62kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 40, poor | 3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 79kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 14°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 62, good | 4 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 82kJ | wind from the north, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 13°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 03:17 −0.9 mHigh 09:40 +1.0 mLow 15:58 −0.9 mHigh 22:08 +0.8 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 04:19 −0.9 mHigh 10:41 +1.0 mLow 16:59 −0.9 mHigh 23:10 +0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:22 −0.9 mHigh 11:42 +0.9 mLow 17:58 −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
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
- 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
- Sep2of 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 and its town
Hickory Bay 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.
More surf near here
3 places
- Stony Beach 12.8 km away
- Raupo Bay 14.5 km away
- Tumble Down Bay 15 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Hickory Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (126°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (306°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–12 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 10°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 17°C in January, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Okains Bay, 9.7 km away (about 20 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$1,770–US$3,360 each
about US$1,770–US$3,360 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 CHC, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$858–US$1,780 |
| 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$1,770–US$3,360 |
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
17 min by car · 1 place to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Okains Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Akaroa on Booking.com
22 min by car
- Beds in Te Oka on Booking.com
48 min by car
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 27h 05m
About 27h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CHC, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 1h 10m by road
Flights MDW → CHC on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.