Mcrakens rock
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
42Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 5 s
Tue 3 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 33kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 206kJ
- Wind
- NE 11 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 242kJ
- Wind
- ENE 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 56kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 61kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 110kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 47kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 245, fair
- Tue 316, too small
- Wed 434, poor
- Thu 533, poor
- Fri 640, poor
- Sat 758, fair
- Sun 855, fair
- Mon 926, too small
- Tue 1032, poor
- Wed 1146, fair
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft9 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 16, too small | 1 ft10 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 34, poor | 3 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 206kJ | wind from the north-east, 11 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 33, poor | 4 ft10 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 242kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 9 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 40, poor | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 61kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 55, fair | 4 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 110kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 26, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 32, poor | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 106kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 14 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 46, fair | 4 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 86kJ | wind from the north, 13 knots | 20°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 05:44 −0.8 mHigh 12:02 +0.8 mLow 18:23 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:33 +0.7 mLow 06:43 −0.8 mHigh 13:00 +0.8 mLow 19:21 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 01:32 +0.7 mLow 07:42 −0.7 mHigh 13:58 +0.8 mLow 20:18 −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
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
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 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
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 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 and its town
Mcrakens rock 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
5 places
- Mangakuri 20.8 km away
- Cray bay 36 km away
- Ocean beach 46.8 km away
- Northen, ocean beach 56.8 km away
- Teawanga 58.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Mcrakens rock
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (124°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (304°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 700 m out (1 in 68). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Waimārama.
Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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$1,740–US$3,290 each
about US$1,740–US$3,290 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 NPE, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$824–US$1,720 |
| 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$1,740–US$3,290 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Waimārama
about 1h 15m by car · 2 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Waimārama its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: Waimārama, 41 km (about 1h 15m 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 → NPE, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 40m by road
Flights MDW → NPE on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.