T Reef
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
11Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 6 s
Mon 2 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- NNE 10 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 59kJ
- Wind
- NNE 12 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 74kJ
- Wind
- ENE 11 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 93kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 41kJ
- Wind
- NNE 11 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 54kJ
- Wind
- NNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 21kJ
- Wind
- NW 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 11, too small
- Mon 23, too small
- Tue 33, too small
- Wed 413, too small
- Thu 520, too small
- Fri 64, too small
- Sat 713, too small
- Sun 88, too small
- Mon 92, too small
- Tue 102, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–7 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Aug1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft12 s1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 11 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 3, too small | 2 ft5 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 10 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 3, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 12 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 13, too small | 3 ft6 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 74kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 11 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 20, too small | 4 ft6 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 93kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 4, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 11 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 13, too small | 3 ft5 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 54kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft6 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | wind from the north-west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 2, too small | 2 ft6 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | wind from the north-east, 10 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 2, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 13 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 3, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the north-west, 15 knots | 18°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 00:04 +1.0 mLow 06:22 −1.2 mHigh 12:40 +1.1 mLow 18:59 −1.0 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:02 +0.9 mLow 07:20 −1.1 mHigh 13:40 +1.1 mLow 20:00 −1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:05 +0.9 mLow 08:22 −1.0 mHigh 14:42 +1.0 mLow 21:04 −0.9 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 in Aug
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 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
T Reef on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Hubbards reef 3.5 km away
- Daniels Reef 8.3 km away
- Goat Island Reef 11.6 km away
- Pakiri 16.2 km away
- Pakiri beach 16.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About T Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (36°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (216°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–7 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 8). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually August, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Leigh, 9.3 km away (about 20 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: Leigh
16 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Leigh 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 26h 30m
About 26h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 1h 40m by road
Flights MDW → AKL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.