Rolling Stones
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
16Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 10 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 129kJ
- Wind
- WNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- N 1 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 138kJ
- Wind
- NE 10 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 244kJ
- Wind
- NE 10 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 66kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- NNE 9 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft14 s
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 160, good
- Mon 216, too small
- Tue 37, too small
- Wed 419, too small
- Thu 532, too small
- Fri 610, too small
- Sat 75, too small
- Sun 84, too small
- Mon 99, too small
- Tue 1013, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–15 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 60, good | 7 ft9 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 650kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 16, too small | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the north, 1 knot | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 138kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 10 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 32, too small | 4 ft10 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 244kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 10 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 66kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft14 s2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | wind from the east, 1 knot | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 10 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 10 knots | 19°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 05:02 −0.8 mHigh 11:20 +0.9 mLow 17:40 −0.8 mHigh 23:48 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 05:59 −0.8 mHigh 12:17 +0.9 mLow 18:38 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:46 +0.7 mLow 06:57 −0.8 mHigh 13:15 +0.8 mLow 19:36 −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.
Map
the spot and its town
Rolling Stones 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.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Waikokopu bay 0.8 km away
- Blacks reef 2.1 km away
- Mahanga 7.9 km away
- Mahia reef 8.1 km away
- Boat harbours 9.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Rolling Stones
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (220°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (40°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 47). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Māhia, 7.8 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 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$1,730–US$3,280 each
about US$1,730–US$3,280 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 GIS, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$817–US$1,700 |
| 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$1,730–US$3,280 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Māhia
14 min by car · 1 place to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Māhia 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 → GIS, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 10m by road
Flights MDW → GIS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.