Staying Home Sucks, home
The Hokianga Harbour Northland. NZ
Omapere, the nearest town, 3 km away. Photo: Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

Waimamaku beach

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

57Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 9 s, 4 hours of offshore wind

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 81 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 ssoft
Energy
231kJ
Wind
NNE 14 kn
Temp
18°C

Tue 3 · 51 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 ssoft
Energy
97kJ
Wind
NE 13 kn
Temp
20°C

Wed 4 · 66 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 ssoft
Energy
311kJ
Wind
SE 5 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 54 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 ssoft
Energy
439kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
18°C

Fri 6 · 39 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 ssoft
Energy
132kJ
Wind
NNW 12 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 26 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 ssoft
Energy
72kJ
Wind
NW 11 kn
Temp
18°C

Sun 8 · 42 out of 100

Swell
4 ft13 ssoft
Energy
483kJ
Wind
WSW 3 kn
Temp
17°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 281, good
  3. Tue 351, fair
  4. Wed 466, good
  5. Thu 554, fair
  6. Fri 639, too small
  7. Sat 726, too small
  8. Sun 842, poor
  9. Mon 972, good
  10. Tue 100, too big

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 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
  • Best in Feb2 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 Waimamaku beach, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov0, too big11 ft11 ssoft14 ft at break (est.)2,511kJwind from the north-north-east, 11 knots18°C
Mon 2Nov81, good4 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)231kJwind from the north-north-east, 14 knots, offshore18°C
Tue 3Nov51, fair2 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)97kJwind from the north-east, 13 knots, offshore20°C
Wed 4Nov66, good4 ft11 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)311kJwind from the south-east, 5 knots19°C
Thu 5Nov54, fair5 ft10 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)439kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots18°C
Fri 6Nov39, too small3 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)132kJwind from the north-north-west, 12 knots20°C
Sat 7Nov26, too small2 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)72kJwind from the north-west, 11 knots18°C
Sun 8Nov42, poor4 ft13 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)483kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots17°C
Mon 9Nov72, good5 ft11 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)582kJwind from the north-north-east, 15 knots, offshore19°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big6 ft10 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)668kJwind from the north-west, 10 knots18°C
Wed 11Nov23, poor4 ft11 smushy6 ft at break (est.)354kJwind from the west-north-west, 19 knots17°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 02:15 +1.0 mLow 08:33 −1.1 mHigh 14:52 +1.1 mLow 21:16 −1.0 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 03:23 +0.9 mLow 09:40 −1.0 mHigh 16:02 +1.0 mLow 22:28 −0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 04:40 +0.8 mLow 10:53 −0.9 mHigh 17:16 +1.0 mLow 23:41 −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 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.

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Waimamaku beach

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

The spot faces SW (237°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (57°). 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 700 m out (1 in 70). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually February, with about 2 good days in 7; in September, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Omapere, 3.2 km away (about 10 min by car).

Water about 17°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$1,740–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 
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
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$1,740–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: Omapere

Closest

Omapere

6 min by car · 2 places to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 2 places to stay in Omapere · Booking.com

About Omapere 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 28h 40m

About 28h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 3h 55m by road

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