Staying Home Sucks, home
Bethels Beach - West Coast
Te Henga. Photo: Piotr Zurek, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Te Henga

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

61Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 10 s, 4 hours of offshore wind

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 65 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
123kJ
Wind
NNE 12 kn
Temp
18°C

Tue 3 · 47 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
76kJ
Wind
NNE 11 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 70 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
298kJ
Wind
ENE 12 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 91 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
326kJ
Wind
NE 11 kn
Temp
20°C

Fri 6 · 42 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
111kJ
Wind
N 8 kn
Temp
19°C

Sat 7 · 41 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
123kJ
Wind
W 8 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 16 out of 100

Swell
4 ft13 smushy
Energy
486kJ
Wind
W 9 kn
Temp
16°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 10, too big
  2. Mon 265, good
  3. Tue 347, fair
  4. Wed 470, good
  5. Thu 591, good
  6. Fri 642, too small
  7. Sat 741, poor
  8. Sun 816, poor
  9. Mon 978, good
  10. Tue 1040, poor

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best in Feb3 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 Te Henga, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov0, too big10 ft10 smushy13 ft at break (est.)1,826kJwind from the west-north-west, 6 knots17°C
Mon 2Nov65, good3 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)123kJwind from the north-north-east, 12 knots, offshore18°C
Tue 3Nov47, fair2 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)76kJwind from the north-north-east, 11 knots, offshore19°C
Wed 4Nov70, good4 ft11 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)298kJwind from the east-north-east, 12 knots, offshore19°C
Thu 5Nov91, good4 ft10 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)326kJwind from the north-east, 11 knots, offshore20°C
Fri 6Nov42, too small3 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)111kJwind from the north, 8 knots19°C
Sat 7Nov41, poor4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)123kJwind from the west, 8 knots17°C
Sun 8Nov16, poor4 ft13 smushy7 ft at break (est.)486kJwind from the west, 9 knots16°C
Mon 9Nov78, good5 ft11 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.)457kJwind from the north-east, 17 knots, offshore19°C
Tue 10Nov40, poor4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)90kJwind from the north-west, 8 knots17°C
Wed 11Nov56, fair3 ft10 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)232kJwind from the north-north-west, 12 knots14°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 02:23 +1.0 mLow 08:42 −1.1 mHigh 14:58 +1.1 mLow 21:25 −1.0 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 03:32 +0.9 mLow 09:50 −1.0 mHigh 16:10 +1.0 mLow 22:38 −1.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 04:50 +0.8 mLow 11:04 −0.9 mHigh 17:26 +1.0 mLow 23:50 −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.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

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.

Photos of Te Henga

Waiti Stream and Lake Wainamu Track, Te Henga (Bethells Beach)
Photo: Robin Capper, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Te Henga

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

The spot faces SW (244°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (64°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 42). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. 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 February, with about 3 good days in 7; in September and October, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Muriwai, 5.5 km away (about 10 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$1,690–US$3,210 each

about US$1,690–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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to AKL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$831–US$1,720
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$87–US$141
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$1,690–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

Closest

Muriwai

10 min by car · 4 places to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 4 places to stay in Muriwai · Booking.com

About Muriwai 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 25h 45m

About 25h 45m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 1h by road

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