Rolling Stones
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
31Poor 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 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 129kJ
- Wind
- WNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- W 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 138kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 244kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 66kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft14 s
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- SSE 1 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 119, poor
- Mon 232, too small
- Tue 311, too small
- Wed 435, too small
- Thu 561, good
- Fri 619, too small
- Sat 79, too small
- Sun 85, too small
- Mon 918, too small
- Tue 1017, 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.
Rolling Stones does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 19, poor | 6 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 495kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 9 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 32, too small | 3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the west, 2 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 35, too small | 3 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 138kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 61, good | 4 ft10 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 244kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 66kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft14 s2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 1 knot | 22°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 18, too small | 1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 17, too small | 1 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 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
- 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 beginners: 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.