Lyall Bay
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
19Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 3 ft swell at 10 s, 4 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 31kJ
- Wind
- NNW 18 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 212kJ
- Wind
- NNW 10 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 158kJ
- Wind
- N 10 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 64kJ
- Wind
- N 16 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- NNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- NNW 15 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 31kJ
- Wind
- NNW 12 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 29, too small
- Tue 39, too small
- Wed 431, too small
- Thu 529, too small
- Fri 616, too small
- Sat 710, too small
- Sun 86, too small
- Mon 911, too small
- Tue 1012, too small
- Wed 1111, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 22 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft10 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 18 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 31, too small | 3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 212kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 29, too small | 3 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 158kJ | offshorewind from the north, 10 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 64kJ | offshorewind from the north, 16 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft10 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft12 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 15 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft10 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 12 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | offshorewind from the north, 10 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 15°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 05:18 −0.6 mHigh 11:26 +0.6 mLow 17:59 −0.6 mHigh 23:52 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 06:11 −0.6 mHigh 12:18 +0.6 mLow 18:50 −0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:43 +0.5 mLow 07:05 −0.6 mHigh 13:11 +0.6 mLow 19:41 −0.5 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).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 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
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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, its town, photos
Lyall Bay on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Lyall Bay
More surf near here
5 places
- lyall bay middles 0.5 km away
- Airport Rights 0.7 km away
- Bombers 1.2 km away
- Houghton Bay 2.3 km away
- Breaker Bay 2.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Lyall Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (177°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (357°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.1 km out (1 in 109). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in June, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 17°C in February, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Wellington, 9.5 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 surf spots, 3 wind sports spots and 1 kayak spot.
Water about 15°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$1,650–US$3,150 each
about US$1,650–US$3,150 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 WLG, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$844–US$1,750 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$33–US$54 |
| 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$1,650–US$3,150 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
about 20 min by car · 2 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Wellington its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Porirua on Booking.com
about 50 min by car · 5 places to stay
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 15m
About 29h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → WLG, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → WLG on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.