Sandy Bay
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
40Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 5 ft swell at 6 s
Mon 2 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 s
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tue 3 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 s
- Energy
- 119kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 s
- Energy
- 132kJ
- Wind
- ENE 10 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 s
- Energy
- 140kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 s
- Energy
- 80kJ
- Wind
- N 10 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 s
- Energy
- 68kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 s
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- NW 10 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 19, too small
- Mon 232, poor
- Tue 339, poor
- Wed 436, poor
- Thu 553, fair
- Fri 632, poor
- Sat 746, fair
- Sun 819, too small
- Mon 914, too small
- Tue 1025, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft4 s2 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 10 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 32, poor | 4 ft5 s4 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 39, poor | 5 ft6 s5 ft at break (est.) | 119kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 36, poor | 5 ft6 s5 ft at break (est.) | 132kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 10 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 53, fair | 5 ft6 s5 ft at break (est.) | 140kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 32, poor | 3 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.) | 80kJ | wind from the north, 10 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 19, too small | 2 ft6 s3 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the north-west, 10 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft4 s3 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 10 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 25, poor | 3 ft5 s4 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft5 s2 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | wind from the north-west, 13 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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 00:13 +0.9 mLow 06:29 −1.0 mHigh 12:53 +1.0 mLow 19:08 −0.8 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:12 +0.8 mLow 07:28 −0.9 mHigh 13:53 +0.9 mLow 20:10 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:17 +0.8 mLow 08:31 −0.9 mHigh 14:55 +0.9 mLow 21:16 −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
Sandy Bay 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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More surf near here
3 places
- Whananki South 2.6 km away
- Whananaki rivermouth 3.4 km away
- Pataua 19.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sandy Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (46°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (226°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea is about 16°C in August, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Matapouri, 3.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. 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 · 1 place to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Matapouri its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Tutukaka on Booking.com
15 min by car · 7 places to stay
- Beds in Parua Bay on Booking.com
43 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 28h
About 28h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 3h 10m by road
Flights MDW → AKL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.