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Rabbit Island
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
41Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 4 ft swell at 6 s
Mon 2 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 s
- Energy
- 9kJ
- Wind
- N 11 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 s
- Energy
- 43kJ
- Wind
- NNE 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 s
- Energy
- 58kJ
- Wind
- NE 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 s
- Energy
- 89kJ
- Wind
- NE 9 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 s
- Energy
- 59kJ
- Wind
- N 7 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 s
- Energy
- 74kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 s
- Energy
- 46kJ
- Wind
- NW 7 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 12, too small
- Mon 25, too small
- Tue 338, poor
- Wed 441, poor
- Thu 534, poor
- Fri 628, poor
- Sat 760, good
- Sun 843, too small
- Mon 918, too small
- Tue 1033, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best Feb–Apr, Dec2 good days in 7
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 | 2, too small | 1 ft11 s1 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the north, 11 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 5, too small | 2 ft4 s2 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | wind from the north, 11 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 38, poor | 3 ft5 s3 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 41, poor | 3 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | wind from the north-east, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 34, poor | 4 ft6 s5 ft at break (est.) | 89kJ | wind from the north-east, 9 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 28, poor | 3 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | wind from the north, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 60, good | 4 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.) | 74kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 43, too small | 3 ft6 s3 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | wind from the north-west, 7 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft6 s3 ft at break (est.) | 24kJ | wind from the east, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 33, too small | 3 ft5 s3 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft5 s2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the north, 4 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 NovLow 05:55 −0.9 mHigh 12:17 +0.9 mLow 18:32 −0.8 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:38 +0.8 mLow 06:52 −0.9 mHigh 13:15 +0.9 mLow 19:32 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 01:39 +0.7 mLow 07:52 −0.8 mHigh 14:15 +0.8 mLow 20:35 −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
best Feb–Apr, Dec
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
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 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
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 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, its town, photos
Rabbit Island 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Rabbit Island
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Live webcam
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Live webcam
Port of Tauranga - Berth 1 and 2, 2 km away
Port of Tauranga - Berth 23 and 24, 3 km away
Webcams belong to their owners.
More surf near here
5 places
- Blowhole 0.9 km away
- Mt Maunganui 1.2 km away
- Mount Maunganui 1.3 km away
- Mount main beach 1.4 km away
- Mt Reef (Artificial) 1.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Rabbit Island
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (56°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (236°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February, March, April and December, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Mount Maunganui, 3.9 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 9 surf spots and 1 climbing area.
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$1,740–US$3,300 each
about US$1,740–US$3,300 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 AKL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$831–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$3,300 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
7 min by car · 11 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Mount Maunganui its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Papamoa on Booking.com
26 min by car
- Beds in Maketu on Booking.com
48 min by car · 4 places to stay
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 27h 35m
About 27h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 2h 50m by road
Flights MDW → AKL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.