Manakau Bar
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
66Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 10 s
Tue 3 · 62 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 155kJ
- Wind
- NE 10 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 286kJ
- Wind
- NE 11 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 84 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 323kJ
- Wind
- NNE 7 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 119kJ
- Wind
- NNE 7 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 77kJ
- Wind
- NW 11 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 smushy
- Energy
- 345kJ
- Wind
- WSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 374kJ
- Wind
- NE 13 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 278, good
- Tue 362, good
- Wed 467, good
- Thu 584, good
- Fri 642, too small
- Sat 727, poor
- Sun 855, fair
- Mon 975, good
- Tue 1072, good
- Wed 110, too big
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Feb3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Manakau Bar does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 78, good | 3 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 193kJ | offshorewind from the north, 8 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 62, good | 3 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 155kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 10 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 67, good | 4 ft11 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 286kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 84, good | 4 ft10 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 323kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 42, too small | 3 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 119kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 27, poor | 4 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 77kJ | wind from the north-west, 11 knots | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 55, fair | 3 ft13 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 345kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 75, good | 4 ft10 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 374kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 13 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 72, good | 4 ft10 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 283kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 575kJ | wind from the north-west, 17 knots | 17°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 NovHigh 03:35 +0.9 mLow 09:52 −1.0 mHigh 16:12 +1.1 mLow 22:40 −1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:53 +0.8 mLow 11:06 −1.0 mHigh 17:28 +1.0 mLow 23:52 −1.0 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 06:09 +0.9 mLow 12:17 −1.0 mHigh 18:37 +1.1 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 Feb
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
- Mar2of 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
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 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, its town, photos
Manakau Bar 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.
Photos of Manakau Bar
More surf near here
5 places
- Karekare 7.5 km away
- Piha 11.6 km away
- Whites Beach 14.4 km away
- Mission Cove 17.9 km away
- Te Henga 19.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Manakau Bar
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (199°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (19°). 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 300 m out (1 in 32). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually February, with about 3 good days in 7; in September and October, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Piha.
Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$1,670–US$3,160 each
about US$1,670–US$3,160 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 AKL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$831–US$1,720 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$60–US$94 |
| 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$1,670–US$3,160 |
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
about 15 min by car · 2 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Karekare its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Piha on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 2 places to stay
- Beds in Muriwai on Booking.com
about 45 min by car · 4 places to stay
Nearest beds: Piha, 11 km (about 20 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 25h 35m
About 25h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 45 min by road
Flights MDW → AKL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.