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Opunake Beach - panoramio
Ōpunake Bay. Photo: Gonzalo Baeza, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Surf spot near Ōpunake

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

48Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 11 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 18 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 ssoft
Energy
118kJ
Wind
NNW 20 kn
Temp
18°C

Tue 3 · 49 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
111kJ
Wind
NNW 11 kn
Temp
20°C

Wed 4 · 71 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 ssoft
Energy
264kJ
Wind
E 4 kn
Temp
22°C

Thu 5 · 64 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 ssoft
Energy
235kJ
Wind
ESE 1 kn
Temp
23°C

Fri 6 · 15 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 smushy
Energy
46kJ
Wind
NNW 15 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 44 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 smushy
Energy
144kJ
Wind
W 7 kn
Temp
19°C

Sun 8 · 16 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 smushy
Energy
208kJ
Wind
W 13 kn
Temp
16°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 112, poor
  2. Mon 218, too small
  3. Tue 349, fair
  4. Wed 471, good
  5. Thu 564, good
  6. Fri 615, too small
  7. Sat 744, poor
  8. Sun 816, poor
  9. Mon 982, good
  10. Tue 1042, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Surf spot near Ōpunake, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov12, poor5 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)289kJwind from the north-north-west, 16 knots16°C
Mon 2Nov18, too small3 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)118kJwind from the north-north-west, 20 knots18°C
Tue 3Nov49, fair3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)111kJwind from the north-north-west, 11 knots20°C
Wed 4Nov71, good4 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)264kJwind from the east, 4 knots, offshore22°C
Thu 5Nov64, good4 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)235kJwind from the east-south-east, 1 knot23°C
Fri 6Nov15, too small3 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)46kJwind from the north-north-west, 15 knots20°C
Sat 7Nov44, poor3 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.)144kJwind from the west, 7 knots19°C
Sun 8Nov16, poor4 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.)208kJwind from the west, 13 knots16°C
Mon 9Nov82, good4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)331kJwind from the north, 10 knots, offshore20°C
Tue 10Nov42, poor4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.)188kJwind from the north-north-west, 14 knots18°C
Wed 11Nov50, fair3 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)128kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots15°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 02:48 +1.1 mLow 09:07 −1.2 mHigh 15:24 +1.2 mLow 21:50 −1.1 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 04:00 +0.9 mLow 10:18 −1.0 mHigh 16:39 +1.1 mLow 23:07 −1.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:22 +0.9 mLow 11:36 −1.0 mHigh 17:57 +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.

Map

the spot and its town

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.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More surf near here

3 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Surf spot near Ōpunake

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces SW (228°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (48°). 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 800 m out (1 in 81). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Ōpunake, 4 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

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$1,750–US$3,310 each

about US$1,750–US$3,310 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to NPL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$837–US$1,740
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$134–US$228
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$342–US$563
Food7 days eating outabout US$301–US$563
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$134–US$221
Totalabout US$1,750–US$3,310

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

Closest

Ōpunake

7 min by car

about US$127/nightcountry average

See places to stay in Ōpunake · Booking.com

About Ōpunake 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 29h 40m

About 29h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → NPL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 20m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.