Is it worth the trip?
45Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 10 s
Mon 2 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 89kJ
- Wind
- NW 25 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 33kJ
- Wind
- NW 13 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 78 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 277kJ
- Wind
- SSE 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 68 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 212kJ
- Wind
- NNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 66kJ
- Wind
- NW 13 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 45kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- NW 10 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 117, poor
- Mon 232, too small
- Tue 314, too small
- Wed 478, good
- Thu 568, good
- Fri 631, too small
- Sat 722, too small
- Sun 823, too small
- Mon 928, too small
- Tue 1035, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best in Feb3 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 | 17, poor | 5 ft9 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 390kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 23 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 89kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 25 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 78, good | 4 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 277kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 68, good | 4 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 212kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 66kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 45kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft6 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 80kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 35, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 99kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 14°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 NovLow 04:20 −0.7 mHigh 10:38 +0.8 mLow 17:02 −0.8 mHigh 23:09 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 05:17 −0.7 mHigh 11:36 +0.8 mLow 17:59 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:06 +0.7 mLow 06:15 −0.7 mHigh 12:33 +0.8 mLow 18:55 −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
best in Feb
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
- Feb3of 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
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 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
White rock 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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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About White rock
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (151°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (331°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 6). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 13°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually February, with about 3 good days in 7; in June, July and September, about 1. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. Waipawa, 23 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Lower Hutt, 53 km. Nearest airport: Wellington International Airport (WLG), 54 km.
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$1,410–US$2,760 each
about US$1,410–US$2,760 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 WLG, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$844–US$1,750 |
| 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$1,410–US$2,760 |
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 53 km away
No town nearby
Waipawa, 23 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Lower Hutt, 53 km. Nearest airport: Wellington International Airport (WLG), 54 km.
See places to stay near Lower Hutt, 53 km away · Booking.comGetting there: about 29h 55m
About 29h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → WLG, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 15m by road
Flights MDW → WLG on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.