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Wairaiki
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
36Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 3 ft swell at 7 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 86kJ
- Wind
- NNW 13 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 85kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 86kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 71kJ
- Wind
- NW 7 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 59kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 smushy
- Energy
- 369kJ
- Wind
- W 15 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 130, poor
- Mon 217, too small
- Tue 347, fair
- Wed 435, too small
- Thu 529, too small
- Fri 637, too small
- Sat 738, too small
- Sun 820, poor
- Mon 938, poor
- Tue 1040, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–14 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Feb, Apr–Jun1 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 | 30, poor | 4 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 217kJ | wind from the north-west, 11 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 17, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 86kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 13 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 85kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 35, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 86kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 29, too small | 3 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 37, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 71kJ | wind from the north-west, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 38, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 20, poor | 4 ft11 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 369kJ | wind from the west, 15 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 38, poor | 4 ft5 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 91kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 12 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 40, poor | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 100kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 71, good | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 124kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 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 03:01 +1.2 mLow 09:16 −1.3 mHigh 15:33 +1.3 mLow 21:57 −1.2 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:09 +1.1 mLow 10:24 −1.1 mHigh 16:44 +1.2 mLow 23:10 −1.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:26 +1.0 mLow 11:37 −1.1 mHigh 17:59 +1.1 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).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 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, its town, photos
Wairaiki 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Wairaiki
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Wairaiki
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (329°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (149°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 650 m out (1 in 63). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February, April, May and June, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. Takaka, 40 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Māpua, 89 km. Nearest airport: Nelson Airport (NSN), 100 km. 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$1,420–US$2,770 each
about US$1,420–US$2,770 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 NSN, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$851–US$1,760 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$134–US$228 |
| 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$1,420–US$2,770 |
No town nearby, so no stay is in it. For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: nearest beds 89 km away
No town nearby
Takaka, 40 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Māpua, 89 km. Nearest airport: Nelson Airport (NSN), 100 km.
See places to stay near Māpua, 89 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 30h 45m
About 30h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → NSN, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 2h 05m by road
Flights MDW → NSN on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.