Sumner Bar
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
13Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 3 ft swell at 5 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- NNW 15 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tue 3 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- WSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Wed 4 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft3 smushy
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- ESE 7 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Thu 5 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 38kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- E 10 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft16 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- E 9 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 118, too small
- Mon 28, too small
- Tue 38, too small
- Wed 47, too small
- Thu 517, too small
- Fri 626, too small
- Sat 75, too small
- Sun 81, too small
- Mon 911, too small
- Tue 1039, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
Sumner Bar 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 | 18, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the north-west, 11 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 15 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 8 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 15°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 26, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 38kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the east, 10 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft16 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the east, 9 knots | 13°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 14°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 39, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 23, too small | 1 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 12 knots, offshore | 13°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 03:50 −1.0 mHigh 10:11 +1.1 mLow 16:31 −1.0 mHigh 22:40 +0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 04:51 −1.0 mHigh 11:11 +1.0 mLow 17:30 −1.0 mHigh 23:41 +0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:52 −1.0 mHigh 12:11 +1.0 mLow 18:29 −1.0 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
- Feb1of 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
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 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
Sumner Bar 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Sumner Bar
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More surf near here
5 places
- Eddies - South Shore 0.4 km away
- Scarborough 1.7 km away
- Taylors Mistake 2.9 km away
- New Brighton 5.4 km away
- Lone Pine - Brighton 5.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sumner Bar
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (55°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (235°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.0 km out (1 in 196). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 10°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 18°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Lyttelton, 5.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots, 3 wind sports spots and 1 climbing area.
Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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$1,680–US$3,210 each
about US$1,680–US$3,210 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 CHC, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$858–US$1,780 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$47–US$80 |
| 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$1,680–US$3,210 |
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
10 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Lyttelton its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Kaiapoi on Booking.com
40 min by car · 5 places to stay
- Beds in Te Oka on Booking.com
56 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 26h 35m
About 26h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CHC, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 40 min by road
Flights MDW → CHC on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.