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Waipatiki. Photo: Arnim Littek, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Waipatiki

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

4Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 2 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 shollow
Energy
5kJ
Wind
NNW 3 kn
Temp
17°C

Wed 4 · 2 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 s
Energy
6kJ
Wind
ENE 7 kn
Temp
17°C

Thu 5 · 3 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 shollow
Energy
12kJ
Wind
E 7 kn
Temp
17°C

Fri 6 · 5 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 shollow
Energy
11kJ
Wind
N 5 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 5 out of 100

Swell
2 ft4 smushy
Energy
7kJ
Wind
WSW 7 kn
Temp
20°C

Sun 8 · 4 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 shollow
Energy
7kJ
Wind
E 4 kn
Temp
17°C

Mon 9 · 3 out of 100

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

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 210, too small
  2. Tue 32, too small
  3. Wed 42, too small
  4. Thu 53, too small
  5. Fri 65, too small
  6. Sat 75, too small
  7. Sun 84, too small
  8. Mon 93, too small
  9. Tue 103, too small
  10. Wed 118, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–11 ftof swell
  • Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Waipatiki, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov10, too small1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.)19kJwind from the north-west, 12 knots, offshore20°C
Tue 3Nov2, too small1 ft8 shollow1 ft at break (est.)5kJwind from the north-north-west, 3 knots, offshore17°C
Wed 4Nov2, too small1 ft9 s1 ft at break (est.)6kJwind from the east-north-east, 7 knots17°C
Thu 5Nov3, too small1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.)12kJwind from the east, 7 knots17°C
Fri 6Nov5, too small1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.)11kJwind from the north, 5 knots20°C
Sat 7Nov5, too small2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)7kJwind from the west-south-west, 7 knots20°C
Sun 8Nov4, too small1 ft7 shollow1 ft at break (est.)7kJwind from the east, 4 knots17°C
Mon 9Nov3, too small1 ft8 shollow1 ft at break (est.)5kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots18°C
Tue 10Nov3, too small2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)8kJwind from the north-east, 11 knots18°C
Wed 11Nov8, too small1 ft7 shollow2 ft at break (est.)15kJwind from the north-north-west, 9 knots, offshore20°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 05:53 −0.8 mHigh 12:10 +0.8 mLow 18:31 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 00:40 +0.7 mLow 06:52 −0.8 mHigh 13:08 +0.8 mLow 19:29 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 01:38 +0.7 mLow 07:51 −0.8 mHigh 14:07 +0.8 mLow 20:27 −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

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: 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 Waipatiki

Drepanacra binocula 60765250
Near Waipatiki. Photo: Mark Tutty, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Cryptaranea atrihastula 60773192
Near Waipatiki. Photo: Mark Tutty, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Waipatiki

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 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 27). 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 January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Napier. Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots.

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$1,650–US$3,140 each

about US$1,650–US$3,140 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 NPE, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$824–US$1,720
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$47–US$80
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$1,650–US$3,140

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

Where to stay: 2 towns

Closest

Napier

about 45 min by car · 6 places to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 6 places to stay in Napier · Booking.com

About Napier its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Napier, 24 km (about 45 min by car)

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 10m

About 29h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → NPE, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 40 min by road

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