Kakanui
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
37Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 4 ft swell at 5 s
Mon 2 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- NNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tue 3 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 24kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Wed 4 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 42kJ
- Wind
- NNE 7 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Thu 5 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 21kJ
- Wind
- ESE 1 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 82kJ
- Wind
- N 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 58kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sun 8 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 31kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 125, poor
- Mon 237, poor
- Tue 316, too small
- Wed 432, too small
- Thu 533, too small
- Fri 661, good
- Sat 729, too small
- Sun 825, too small
- Mon 934, too small
- Tue 1051, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best May–Aug2 good days in 7
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 25, poor | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 100kJ | wind from the north, 11 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 37, poor | 3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 9 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 24kJ | wind from the north-east, 6 knots | 12°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 7 knots | 14°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 1 knot | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 61, good | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 82kJ | wind from the north, 6 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 29, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | wind from the north-east, 6 knots | 15°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 14°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 14°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 51, fair | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | offshorewind from the west, 7 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 41, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 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 02:35 −0.8 mHigh 08:58 +0.8 mLow 15:16 −0.8 mHigh 21:27 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:39 −0.8 mHigh 10:02 +0.8 mLow 16:19 −0.8 mHigh 22:30 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:43 −0.8 mHigh 11:04 +0.8 mLow 17:19 −0.8 mHigh 23:31 +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 May–Aug
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 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
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 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, its town, photos
Kakanui 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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Photos of Kakanui
More surf near here
4 places
- Campbell´s bay 0.6 km away
- THE DUMP 3.6 km away
- Golf links 9.6 km away
- Cross Roads 9.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Kakanui
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (114°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (294°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.0 km out (1 in 102). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 10°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in January, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June, July and August, with about 2 good days in 7; in January, November and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Oamaru. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 13°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
26 min by car · 2 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Oamaru its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Hampden on Booking.com
30 min by car
- Beds in Moeraki on Booking.com
33 min by car · 7 places to stay
Nearest beds: Oamaru, 15 km (about 30 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 30h 10m
About 30h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CHC, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 4h 15m by road
Flights MDW → CHC on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.