Whananaki rivermouth
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
43Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 6 s
Tue 3 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 75kJ
- Wind
- NNE 10 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 128kJ
- Wind
- NE 9 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 118kJ
- Wind
- NNE 9 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 79kJ
- Wind
- NNW 11 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- W 12 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sun 8 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 49kJ
- Wind
- NNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 44kJ
- Wind
- NNW 12 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 241, poor
- Tue 333, poor
- Wed 433, poor
- Thu 560, good
- Fri 638, poor
- Sat 755, fair
- Sun 837, too small
- Mon 921, too small
- Tue 1043, poor
- Wed 1161, good
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 41, poor | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 33, poor | 4 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 75kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 10 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 33, poor | 5 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 128kJ | wind from the north-east, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 60, good | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 118kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 9 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 38, poor | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 79kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 11 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 55, fair | 4 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | offshorewind from the west, 12 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 37, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 21, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 44kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 12 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 43, poor | 4 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 11 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 61, good | 3 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 20°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 NovHigh 01:12 +0.8 mLow 07:28 −0.9 mHigh 13:53 +0.9 mLow 20:10 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:17 +0.8 mLow 08:31 −0.9 mHigh 14:55 +0.9 mLow 21:16 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:24 +0.7 mLow 09:37 −0.8 mHigh 15:59 +0.9 mLow 22:21 −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 and its town
Whananaki rivermouth 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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More surf near here
3 places
- Whananki South 1.2 km away
- Sandy Bay 3.4 km away
- Pataua 22.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Whananaki rivermouth
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (101°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (281°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.1 km out (1 in 111). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in July, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Tutukaka. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to AKL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$831–US$1,720 |
| 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$1,740–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: 3 towns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 15 min by car · 1 place to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Matapouri its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Tutukaka on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 7 places to stay
- Beds in Parua Bay on Booking.com
about 50 min by car
Nearest beds: Tutukaka, 11 km (about 20 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 28h
About 28h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 3h 15m by road
Flights MDW → AKL on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.