Te Arai Point
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
38Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 6 s
Mon 2 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 34kJ
- Wind
- NNE 13 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tue 3 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 56kJ
- Wind
- NNE 10 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 81kJ
- Wind
- ENE 11 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 109kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 61kJ
- Wind
- N 11 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- WSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- WNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 14, too small
- Mon 216, poor
- Tue 330, poor
- Wed 436, poor
- Thu 550, fair
- Fri 618, poor
- Sat 756, fair
- Sun 830, too small
- Mon 97, too small
- Tue 1038, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft9 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 12 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 16, poor | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 34kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 13 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 30, poor | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 10 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 36, poor | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 11 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 50, fair | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 109kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 18, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 61kJ | wind from the north, 11 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 56, fair | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 7 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 14 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 38, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 30kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 10 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 00:08 +0.9 mLow 06:25 −1.1 mHigh 12:45 +1.1 mLow 19:02 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:06 +0.9 mLow 07:23 −1.0 mHigh 13:45 +1.0 mLow 20:04 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:09 +0.8 mLow 08:25 −0.9 mHigh 14:47 +0.9 mLow 21:08 −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.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Te Arai Point 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 Te Arai Point
More surf near here
4 places
- Forestry 1 km away
- Bagents 4.6 km away
- Langs beach 16.6 km away
- Waipu Cove 20.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Te Arai Point
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (61°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (241°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 23). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Mangawhai, 9.9 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: 3 towns
17 min by car · 10 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Mangawhai its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Waipu Cove on Booking.com
33 min by car · 5 places to stay
- Beds in Leigh on Booking.com
35 min by car · 3 places to stay
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 45m
About 26h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 1h 55m by road
Flights MDW → AKL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.