The Gap
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
49Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 4 ft swell at 5 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Mon 2 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- NW 15 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tue 3 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 19kJ
- Wind
- NW 15 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 184kJ
- Wind
- NNE 7 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Thu 5 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 158kJ
- Wind
- N 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 78kJ
- Wind
- NNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 53kJ
- Wind
- ESE 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 71kJ
- Wind
- WNW 11 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 137, poor
- Mon 232, too small
- Tue 316, too small
- Wed 448, fair
- Thu 543, poor
- Fri 660, good
- Sat 754, fair
- Sun 854, fair
- Mon 925, too small
- Tue 1030, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 37, poor | 5 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 320kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 15 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 15 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 184kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 7 knots | 23°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 43, poor | 3 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 158kJ | wind from the north, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 60, good | 4 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 71kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 11 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 12 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 5 knots | 15°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 04:36 −0.8 mHigh 10:55 +0.8 mLow 17:17 −0.8 mHigh 23:26 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 05:33 −0.8 mHigh 11:52 +0.8 mLow 18:13 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:24 +0.7 mLow 06:31 −0.8 mHigh 12:49 +0.8 mLow 19:10 −0.8 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
The Gap 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 The Gap
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More surf near here
1 place
- Slippery 4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About The Gap
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (123°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (303°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 20). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 13°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Castlepoint, 1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 15°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$1,750–US$3,310 each
about US$1,750–US$3,310 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 PMR, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$837–US$1,740 |
| 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$1,750–US$3,310 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Castlepoint
2 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Castlepoint 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 30h 20m
About 30h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PMR, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 45m by road
Flights MDW → PMR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.