Kahutara
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
33Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 3 ft swell at 5 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- ESE 2 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 89kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 74kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 56kJ
- Wind
- NNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 42kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 33kJ
- Wind
- ESE 2 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 216, too small
- Tue 316, too small
- Wed 440, too small
- Thu 541, too small
- Fri 650, fair
- Sat 712, too small
- Sun 820, too small
- Mon 915, too small
- Tue 1024, too small
- Wed 1131, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best in Jun4 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft8 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 40, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 89kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 41, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 74kJ | wind from the north-east, 2 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 50, fair | 3 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 14°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | offshorewind from the north, 1 knot, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 31, too small | 3 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 05:08 −0.8 mHigh 11:27 +0.8 mLow 17:48 −0.8 mHigh 23:55 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 06:07 −0.8 mHigh 12:26 +0.8 mLow 18:45 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:53 +0.7 mLow 07:06 −0.8 mHigh 13:24 +0.8 mLow 19:42 −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 in Jun
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 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
Kahutara 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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More surf near here
1 place
- Mangamaunu 19.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Kahutara
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (145°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (325°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 35). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 11°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 17°C in January, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually June, with about 4 good days in 7; in January, November and December, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Kaikoura, 7.9 km away (about 15 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: Kaikoura
14 min by car · 37 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Kaikoura 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 28h 45m
About 28h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CHC, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 2h 50m by road
Flights MDW → CHC on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.