The tip
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
31Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 4 ft swell at 8 s
Mon 2 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 278kJ
- Wind
- N 23 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tue 3 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 107kJ
- Wind
- N 10 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Wed 4 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 303kJ
- Wind
- N 6 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 190kJ
- Wind
- NNE 12 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 145kJ
- Wind
- N 8 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sat 7 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 218kJ
- Wind
- W 5 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 815kJ
- Wind
- WSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 119, poor
- Mon 211, poor
- Tue 320, poor
- Wed 437, poor
- Thu 526, poor
- Fri 630, poor
- Sat 754, fair
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 980, good
- Tue 1025, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best Feb–Apr, Jun3 good days in 7
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 | 19, poor | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 197kJ | wind from the north, 19 knots | 14°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 11, poor | 4 ft9 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 278kJ | wind from the north, 23 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 20, poor | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 107kJ | wind from the north, 10 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 37, poor | 4 ft10 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 303kJ | wind from the north, 6 knots | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 26, poor | 3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 190kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 12 knots | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 30, poor | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 145kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 15°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 54, fair | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 218kJ | wind from the west, 5 knots | 14°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft10 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 815kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots | 14°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 80, good | 4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 355kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 25, poor | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 80kJ | wind from the north, 10 knots | 14°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 67, good | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 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 NovHigh 03:57 +1.0 mLow 10:10 −1.0 mHigh 16:25 +1.1 mLow 22:49 −1.1 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:07 +0.9 mLow 11:19 −0.9 mHigh 17:37 +1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 00:01 −1.0 mHigh 06:21 +0.9 mLow 12:31 −0.9 mHigh 18:50 +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.
Best time to go
best Feb–Apr, Jun
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 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
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 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
The tip 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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More surf near here
2 places
- Cobden Tiphead 0.3 km away
- Blaketown wedge 1.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About The tip
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (297°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (117°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 1.6 km out (1 in 164). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February, March, April and June, 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 Greymouth, 3.9 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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$1,770–US$3,360 each
about US$1,770–US$3,360 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 CHC, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$858–US$1,780 |
| 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$1,770–US$3,360 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Greymouth
7 min by car · 18 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Greymouth 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 29h
About 29h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CHC, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 3h 05m by road
Flights MDW → CHC on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.