Mikotai
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
18Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 6 ft swell at 10 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- N 8 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 119kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 225kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 158kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 45kJ
- Wind
- N 8 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 71kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 599kJ
- Wind
- WNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 139, poor
- Mon 26, too small
- Tue 319, too small
- Wed 418, too small
- Thu 519, too small
- Fri 69, too small
- Sat 722, too small
- Sun 823, poor
- Mon 910, too small
- Tue 1019, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 39, poor | 7 ft10 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 859kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 9 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 6, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 119kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 18, too small | 3 ft11 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 225kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 158kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 9, too small | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 45kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 22, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 71kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 23, poor | 6 ft10 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 599kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 8 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 10, too small | 4 ft10 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 377kJ | wind from the north-east, 12 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 19, too small | 5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 191kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 10 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 19, too small | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 146kJ | wind from the north-east, 11 knots | 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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 02:38 +1.1 mLow 08:56 −1.2 mHigh 15:13 +1.2 mLow 21:40 −1.1 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:48 +1.0 mLow 10:05 −1.1 mHigh 16:26 +1.1 mLow 22:53 −1.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:08 +0.9 mLow 11:19 −1.0 mHigh 17:42 +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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 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
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 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
Mikotai 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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Live webcam
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Live webcam
Taranaki from New Plymouth, 4 km away
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More surf near here
5 places
- Break water 1.2 km away
- Back Beach 2 km away
- Belt Road 2.3 km away
- Aquatic centre 2.8 km away
- Boulders bay 5.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Mikotai
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (339°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (159°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 30). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 14°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is New Plymouth, 5.4 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.
Water about 17°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$1,630–US$3,120 each
about US$1,630–US$3,120 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 NPL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$837–US$1,740 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| 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$1,630–US$3,120 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: New Plymouth
10 min by car · 45 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About New Plymouth 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 50m
About 28h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → NPL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 30 min by road
Flights MDW → NPL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.