Wairoa River Barr
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
32Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 10 s
Tue 3 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 26kJ
- Wind
- NNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 98kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 179kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 72kJ
- Wind
- N 5 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- N 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Mon 9 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- NNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 254, fair
- Tue 321, too small
- Wed 429, too small
- Thu 563, good
- Fri 640, too small
- Sat 714, too small
- Sun 810, too small
- Mon 910, too small
- Tue 1013, too small
- Wed 1118, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Wairoa River Barr does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 112kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 9 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 21, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 98kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 8 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 63, good | 3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 179kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 40, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 72kJ | offshorewind from the north, 5 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | offshorewind from the north, 2 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft10 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft10 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 18, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | offshorewind from the north, 11 knots, offshore | 23°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 05:56 −0.8 mHigh 12:13 +0.9 mLow 18:33 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:42 +0.7 mLow 06:54 −0.8 mHigh 13:11 +0.8 mLow 19:31 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 01:41 +0.7 mLow 07:53 −0.8 mHigh 14:10 +0.8 mLow 20:29 −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.
Best time to go
No month stands out
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
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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
Wairoa River Barr on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Wairoa River Barr
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (172°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (352°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.0 km out (1 in 196). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Wairoa, 3.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot and 1 mountain bike area.
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$1,730–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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to GIS, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$817–US$1,700 |
| 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$1,730–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: Wairoa
about 5 min by car · 5 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Wairoa 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 55m
About 29h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → GIS, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 25m by road
Flights MDW → GIS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.