Is it worth the trip?
27Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 5 ft swell at 10 s
Tue 3 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 230kJ
- Wind
- N 14 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 250kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 246kJ
- Wind
- SW 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 81kJ
- Wind
- NNW 14 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 83kJ
- Wind
- NNW 13 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 461kJ
- Wind
- NW 13 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 377kJ
- Wind
- NW 0 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 211, too small
- Tue 318, too small
- Wed 428, too small
- Thu 531, too small
- Fri 67, too small
- Sat 711, too small
- Sun 826, too small
- Mon 940, too small
- Tue 1017, too small
- Wed 1125, 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
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 11, too small | 3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 177kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 16 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 18, too small | 5 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 230kJ | wind from the north, 14 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 28, too small | 3 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 250kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 31, too small | 4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 246kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 7, too small | 4 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 14 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 13 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 26, too small | 5 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 461kJ | wind from the north-west, 13 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 40, too small | 5 ft10 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 377kJ | wind from the north-west, 0 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 17, too small | 4 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 236kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 13 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 25, poor | 6 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 495kJ | wind from the north-west, 22 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 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
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:23 −1.1 mHigh 06:40 +0.9 mLow 12:49 −1.0 mHigh 19:08 +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 experts: 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
- 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
about 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
about 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.