Kahutara
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
36Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 4 ft swell at 5 s
Mon 2 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 24kJ
- Wind
- N 10 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 15kJ
- Wind
- WNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 96kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 75kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 74kJ
- Wind
- NW 5 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 166, good
- Mon 218, too small
- Tue 314, too small
- Wed 441, too small
- Thu 542, too small
- Fri 664, good
- Sat 711, too small
- Sun 819, too small
- Mon 936, too small
- Tue 1062, good
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
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Kahutara 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 | 66, good | 4 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 197kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 24kJ | offshorewind from the north, 10 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 41, too small | 2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 96kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 75kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 64, good | 4 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 74kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft9 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 36, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 62, good | 4 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 0 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 04:09 −0.8 mHigh 10:29 +0.9 mLow 16:51 −0.8 mHigh 22:57 +0.7 m
- 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
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 Mon 2 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 beginners: 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.