Skimps
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
58Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 10 s
Mon 2 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 209kJ
- Wind
- N 12 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tue 3 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 84kJ
- Wind
- NNE 9 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 273kJ
- Wind
- NE 7 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 77 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 308kJ
- Wind
- ENE 10 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 104kJ
- Wind
- N 7 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 83kJ
- Wind
- WNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft12 smushy
- Energy
- 494kJ
- Wind
- WSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 10, too big
- Mon 255, fair
- Tue 334, too small
- Wed 466, good
- Thu 577, good
- Fri 638, too small
- Sat 751, fair
- Sun 851, fair
- Mon 952, fair
- Tue 1058, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Feb, Jun2 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 | 0, too big | 9 ft10 smushy11 ft at break (est.) | 1,562kJ | wind from the west, 8 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 55, fair | 4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 209kJ | wind from the north, 12 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 66, good | 4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 273kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 77, good | 4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 308kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 10 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 38, too small | 2 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 104kJ | wind from the north, 7 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 51, fair | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 51, fair | 4 ft12 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 494kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 52, fair | 6 ft10 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 576kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 10 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 58, fair | 5 ft11 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 448kJ | wind from the north, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 23, poor | 3 ft10 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 212kJ | wind from the north-west, 14 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 02:25 +1.0 mLow 08:44 −1.1 mHigh 15:00 +1.1 mLow 21:28 −1.1 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 03:35 +0.9 mLow 09:52 −1.0 mHigh 16:12 +1.1 mLow 22:40 −1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:53 +0.8 mLow 11:06 −1.0 mHigh 17:28 +1.0 mLow 23:52 −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.
Best time to go
best Feb, Jun
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
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 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
- Dec1of 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
Skimps 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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Photos of Skimps
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Skimps
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (270°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (90°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.9 km out (1 in 286). 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 January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February and June, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Hunua. 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: Hunua
82 min by car
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Hunua its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: Hunua, 47 km (about 1h 25m 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 25h 50m
About 25h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 1h 05m by road
Flights MDW → AKL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.