Staying Home Sucks, home
Elgin (1)
Gisborne, the nearest town, 9 km away. Photo: Pakoire, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Stockroute

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

46Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 3 ft swell at 6 s, 4 hours of offshore wind

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 20 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
13kJ
Wind
NNW 8 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 16 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
53kJ
Wind
NE 9 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 25 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 smushy
Energy
140kJ
Wind
NE 6 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 48 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
52kJ
Wind
NW 14 kn
Temp
22°C

Sat 7 · 58 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
83kJ
Wind
NNW 14 kn
Temp
21°C

Sun 8 · 64 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 smushy
Energy
81kJ
Wind
NW 8 kn
Temp
21°C

Mon 9 · 43 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
36kJ
Wind
NW 12 kn
Temp
21°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 251, fair
  2. Tue 320, too small
  3. Wed 416, too small
  4. Thu 525, too small
  5. Fri 648, fair
  6. Sat 758, fair
  7. Sun 864, good
  8. Mon 943, too small
  9. Tue 1047, fair
  10. Wed 1142, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–10 ftof swell
  • Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
  • Best in Oct2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Stockroute, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov51, fair3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)105kJwind from the north-west, 16 knots, offshore18°C
Tue 3Nov20, too small2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)13kJwind from the north-north-west, 8 knots, offshore19°C
Wed 4Nov16, too small2 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)53kJwind from the north-east, 9 knots19°C
Thu 5Nov25, too small3 ft10 smushy3 ft at break (est.)140kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots19°C
Fri 6Nov48, fair3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)52kJwind from the north-west, 14 knots, offshore22°C
Sat 7Nov58, fair4 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)83kJwind from the north-north-west, 14 knots, offshore21°C
Sun 8Nov64, good3 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)81kJwind from the north-west, 8 knots, offshore21°C
Mon 9Nov43, too small3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)36kJwind from the north-west, 12 knots, offshore21°C
Tue 10Nov47, fair4 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)86kJwind from the north, 5 knots19°C
Wed 11Nov42, too small2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)41kJwind from the north-west, 18 knots, offshore20°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

  • Mon 2 NovLow 06:07 −0.8 mHigh 12:26 +0.8 mLow 18:45 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 00:53 +0.7 mLow 07:05 −0.8 mHigh 13:24 +0.8 mLow 19:43 −0.7 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 01:52 +0.7 mLow 08:04 −0.7 mHigh 14:22 +0.7 mLow 20:42 −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.

Map

the spot and its town

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

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Stockroute

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces SE (124°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (304°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 62). 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 February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually October, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Gisborne, 9.1 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 8 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to GIS, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$817–US$1,700
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$20–US$33
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$342–US$563
Food7 days eating outabout US$301–US$563
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$134–US$221
Totalabout 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

Closest

Gisborne

about 20 min by car · 12 places to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 12 places to stay in Gisborne · Booking.com

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

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.