Staying Home Sucks, home
Surfers through the trees (Unsplash)
Raglan - Whale Bay. Photo: Tim Marshall timmarshall, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

Raglan - Whale Bay

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

47Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 10 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 32 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 ssoft
Energy
74kJ
Wind
NE 8 kn
Temp
21°C

Wed 4 · 50 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 ssoft
Energy
236kJ
Wind
NE 6 kn
Temp
22°C

Thu 5 · 66 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 ssoft
Energy
216kJ
Wind
NW 4 kn
Temp
23°C

Fri 6 · 31 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 smushy
Energy
63kJ
Wind
NE 8 kn
Temp
22°C

Sat 7 · 35 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
81kJ
Wind
NNW 10 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 52 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 ssoft
Energy
343kJ
Wind
NW 5 kn
Temp
18°C

Mon 9 · 34 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 ssoft
Energy
363kJ
Wind
NNE 15 kn
Temp
19°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 242, poor
  2. Tue 332, too small
  3. Wed 450, fair
  4. Thu 566, good
  5. Fri 631, poor
  6. Sat 735, poor
  7. Sun 852, fair
  8. Mon 934, poor
  9. Tue 1035, poor
  10. Wed 110, too big

The spot in five facts

  • Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
  • Offshore: SEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–10 ftof swell
  • Water 17 °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 Raglan - Whale Bay, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov42, poor3 ft9 smushy4 ft at break (est.)148kJwind from the north-north-west, 6 knots20°C
Tue 3Nov32, too small2 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)74kJwind from the north-east, 8 knots21°C
Wed 4Nov50, fair4 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)236kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots22°C
Thu 5Nov66, good3 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)216kJwind from the north-west, 4 knots23°C
Fri 6Nov31, poor3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)63kJwind from the north-east, 8 knots22°C
Sat 7Nov35, poor4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)81kJwind from the north-north-west, 10 knots17°C
Sun 8Nov52, fair4 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)343kJwind from the north-west, 5 knots18°C
Mon 9Nov34, poor4 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)363kJwind from the north-north-east, 15 knots19°C
Tue 10Nov35, poor3 ft10 smushy4 ft at break (est.)232kJwind from the north, 9 knots18°C
Wed 11Nov0, too big6 ft9 smushy7 ft at break (est.)470kJwind from the north-west, 11 knots17°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 03:39 +0.9 mLow 09:54 −1.0 mHigh 16:15 +1.1 mLow 22:41 −1.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 04:57 +0.9 mLow 11:07 −1.0 mHigh 17:30 +1.1 mLow 23:53 −1.1 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 06:13 +0.9 mLow 12:18 −1.0 mHigh 18:40 +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, its town, photos

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.

Photos of Raglan - Whale Bay

Surfing the sea at dusk (Unsplash)
Photo: Tim Marshall timmarshall, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Surfer 2
Photo: Florian Bugiel, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Live webcam

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Live webcam

Raglan Bar, 5 km away

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More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Raglan - Whale Bay

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

The spot faces NW (306°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (126°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 60). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Raglan, 7.6 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 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$1,740–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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to AKL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$831–US$1,720
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$1,740–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: Raglan

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Raglan

about 15 min by car · 2 places to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 2 places to stay in Raglan · Booking.com

About Raglan 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 26h 40m

About 26h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 1h 50m by road

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