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New Plymouth - Coastal Walkway
New Plymouth, the nearest town, 7 km away. Photo: Gonzalobaeza, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Waitara(WBBRC)-Surf Club Side

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

41Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 6 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 14 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 s
Energy
29kJ
Wind
N 9 kn
Temp
16°C

Tue 3 · 46 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 s
Energy
115kJ
Wind
NE 3 kn
Temp
16°C

Wed 4 · 38 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 s
Energy
163kJ
Wind
ESE 3 kn
Temp
17°C

Thu 5 · 44 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 s
Energy
141kJ
Wind
NNE 3 kn
Temp
17°C

Fri 6 · 23 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 s
Energy
44kJ
Wind
N 8 kn
Temp
17°C

Sat 7 · 55 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 s
Energy
69kJ
Wind
N 3 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 28 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 s
Energy
462kJ
Wind
WNW 8 kn
Temp
16°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 110, poor
  2. Mon 214, too small
  3. Tue 346, fair
  4. Wed 438, too small
  5. Thu 544, too small
  6. Fri 623, poor
  7. Sat 755, fair
  8. Sun 828, poor
  9. Mon 919, poor
  10. Tue 1027, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
  • Offshore: SEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Waitara(WBBRC)-Surf Club Side, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov10, poor5 ft9 s3 ft at break (est.)412kJwind from the north-north-west, 10 knots15°C
Mon 2Nov14, too small3 ft5 s3 ft at break (est.)29kJwind from the north, 9 knots16°C
Tue 3Nov46, fair3 ft8 s3 ft at break (est.)115kJwind from the north-east, 3 knots16°C
Wed 4Nov38, too small3 ft11 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)163kJwind from the east-south-east, 3 knots17°C
Thu 5Nov44, too small3 ft10 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)141kJwind from the north-north-east, 3 knots17°C
Fri 6Nov23, poor3 ft5 s4 ft at break (est.)44kJwind from the north, 8 knots17°C
Sat 7Nov55, fair3 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.)69kJwind from the north, 3 knots17°C
Sun 8Nov28, poor5 ft10 s1 ft at break (est.)462kJwind from the west-north-west, 8 knots16°C
Mon 9Nov19, poor4 ft10 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)279kJwind from the north-east, 14 knots18°C
Tue 10Nov27, poor4 ft10 s1 ft at break (est.)248kJwind from the north-north-west, 13 knots17°C
Wed 11Nov15, poor5 ft6 s5 ft at break (est.)155kJwind from the north-north-east, 15 knots15°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 02:38 +1.1 mLow 08:56 −1.2 mHigh 15:13 +1.2 mLow 21:40 −1.1 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 03:48 +1.0 mLow 10:05 −1.1 mHigh 16:25 +1.1 mLow 22:53 −1.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:07 +0.9 mLow 11:19 −1.0 mHigh 17:42 +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.

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.

Live webcam

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Live webcam

In New Plymouth, the nearest town, 7 km away

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More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Waitara(WBBRC)-Surf Club Side

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

The spot faces NW (334°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (154°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea is about 14°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 New Plymouth, 7.1 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 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$1,630–US$3,120 each

about US$1,630–US$3,120 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 NPL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$837–US$1,740
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$20–US$33
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$1,630–US$3,120

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

Where to stay: New Plymouth

Closest

New Plymouth

12 min by car · 45 places to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 45 places to stay in New Plymouth · Booking.com

About New Plymouth 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 50m

About 28h 50m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → NPL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 30 min by road

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