Is it worth the trip?
48Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 11 s
Mon 2 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 118kJ
- Wind
- NNW 21 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tue 3 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 180kJ
- Wind
- NNW 13 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 264kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 235kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 46kJ
- Wind
- NNW 14 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 144kJ
- Wind
- NNW 10 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sun 8 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 208kJ
- Wind
- NW 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 112, poor
- Mon 217, too small
- Tue 349, fair
- Wed 475, good
- Thu 563, good
- Fri 615, too small
- Sat 738, poor
- Sun 827, poor
- Mon 973, good
- Tue 1046, fair
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.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 12, poor | 5 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 289kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 16 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 17, too small | 3 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 118kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 21 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 49, fair | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 180kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 13 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 75, good | 4 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 264kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 63, good | 4 ft10 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 235kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 15, too small | 3 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 14 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 38, poor | 3 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 144kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 10 knots | 22°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 27, poor | 4 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 208kJ | wind from the north-west, 9 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 73, good | 4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 331kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 46, fair | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 150kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 13 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 22, too small | 3 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 128kJ | wind from the north-west, 23 knots | 16°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
Puniho road 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
3 places
- op 1.1 km away
- Arawahata Road 5.7 km away
- Green Meadows 6.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Puniho road
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (233°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (53°). 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 850 m out (1 in 85). 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, 2.9 km away (about 5 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
| 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 |
| 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$1,750–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
5 min by car
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Ōpunake its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Mahoe on Booking.com
50 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 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
Flights MDW → NPL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.