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Hawke's Bay, the wider area. Photo: Lesbardd, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Waikokopu bay

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

22Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: too small (3 ft swell at 10 s), 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 11 out of 100

Swell
1 ft10 shollow
Energy
28kJ
Wind
E 1 kn
Temp
21°C

Wed 4 · 27 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
127kJ
Wind
NE 10 kn
Temp
21°C

Thu 5 · 44 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
206kJ
Wind
NE 7 kn
Temp
21°C

Fri 6 · 21 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
73kJ
Wind
WNW 3 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 8 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 shollow
Energy
11kJ
Wind
NE 8 kn
Temp
24°C

Sun 8 · 6 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 shollow
Energy
18kJ
Wind
WNW 5 kn
Temp
22°C

Mon 9 · 11 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 shollow
Energy
18kJ
Wind
NNW 8 kn
Temp
22°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 224, too small
  2. Tue 311, too small
  3. Wed 427, too small
  4. Thu 544, too small
  5. Fri 621, too small
  6. Sat 78, too small
  7. Sun 86, too small
  8. Mon 911, too small
  9. Tue 1011, too small
  10. Wed 1110, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 4–18 ftof swell
  • Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Waikokopu bay, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov24, too small3 ft9 smushy4 ft at break (est.)120kJwind from the west-south-west, 7 knots21°C
Tue 3Nov11, too small1 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.)28kJwind from the east, 1 knot21°C
Wed 4Nov27, too small2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.)127kJwind from the north-east, 10 knots, offshore21°C
Thu 5Nov44, too small3 ft10 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)206kJwind from the north-east, 7 knots, offshore21°C
Fri 6Nov21, too small2 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)73kJwind from the west-north-west, 3 knots26°C
Sat 7Nov8, too small1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.)11kJwind from the north-east, 8 knots, offshore24°C
Sun 8Nov6, too small1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.)18kJwind from the west-north-west, 5 knots22°C
Mon 9Nov11, too small1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.)18kJwind from the north-north-west, 8 knots, offshore22°C
Tue 10Nov11, too small1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.)16kJwind from the north-east, 10 knots, offshore19°C
Wed 11Nov10, too small1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.)22kJwind from the north-north-west, 10 knots22°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

  • Mon 2 NovLow 05:59 −0.8 mHigh 12:17 +0.9 mLow 18:38 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 00:46 +0.7 mLow 06:57 −0.8 mHigh 13:15 +0.8 mLow 19:36 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 01:45 +0.7 mLow 07:56 −0.8 mHigh 14:13 +0.8 mLow 20:34 −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 and its town

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.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Waikokopu bay

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

The spot faces SW (209°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (29°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–18 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 30). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 13°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Māhia, 7.2 km away (about 15 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$1,730–US$3,280 each

about US$1,730–US$3,280 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to GIS, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$817–US$1,700
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$134–US$228
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$1,730–US$3,280

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Māhia

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Closest

Māhia

about 15 min by car · 1 place to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 1 place to stay in Māhia · Booking.com

About Māhia 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 40m

About 29h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → GIS, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 10m by road

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