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Sponge bay
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
22Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 5 s
Mon 2 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 43kJ
- Wind
- NW 15 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tue 3 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- NW 9 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 15kJ
- Wind
- NNE 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 24kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- NW 13 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 54kJ
- Wind
- NNE 9 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 38kJ
- Wind
- NW 16 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 155, fair
- Mon 225, too small
- Tue 310, too small
- Wed 410, too small
- Thu 514, too small
- Fri 628, poor
- Sat 731, poor
- Sun 813, too small
- Mon 912, too small
- Tue 1015, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 55, fair | 3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 103kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 15 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft8 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 24kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 28, poor | 4 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 31, poor | 3 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 54kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 38kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 16 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 24kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 11 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | wind from the north-east, 7 knots | 16°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 05:11 −0.8 mHigh 11:29 +0.8 mLow 17:46 −0.8 mHigh 23:54 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 06:07 −0.8 mHigh 12:25 +0.8 mLow 18:44 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:52 +0.7 mLow 07:05 −0.8 mHigh 13:23 +0.8 mLow 19:43 −0.7 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
No month stands out
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
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 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 and its town
Sponge 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.
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.
More surf near here
5 places
- The rock 0.2 km away
- The Island 0.9 km away
- Cliffs 1.7 km away
- Wainui Beach 2.1 km away
- Stockroute 2.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sponge bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (166°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (346°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 750 m out (1 in 77). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Gisborne, 7.9 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 8 surf spots.
Water about 16°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$1,610–US$3,080 each
about US$1,610–US$3,080 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| 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$1,610–US$3,080 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Gisborne
14 min by car · 12 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Gisborne 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 28h 50m
About 28h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → GIS, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 20 min by road
Flights MDW → GIS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.