Staying Home Sucks, home
Owhiro Bay, Wellington, New Zealand, 26 Oct. 2008
Ōwhiro Bay. Photo: Phillip Capper from Wellington, New Zealand, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Surf spot near Wellington

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

17Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 7 out of 100

Swell
1 ft10 shollow
Energy
40kJ
Wind
NNW 14 kn
Temp
16°C

Wed 4 · 28 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 shollow
Energy
182kJ
Wind
NNW 15 kn
Temp
17°C

Thu 5 · 28 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 shollow
Energy
147kJ
Wind
N 17 kn
Temp
18°C

Fri 6 · 14 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 shollow
Energy
39kJ
Wind
N 19 kn
Temp
17°C

Sat 7 · 8 out of 100

Swell
1 ft10 shollow
Energy
21kJ
Wind
N 17 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 5 out of 100

Swell
1 ft12 shollow
Energy
26kJ
Wind
NNW 22 kn
Temp
16°C

Mon 9 · 6 out of 100

Swell
1 ft10 shollow
Energy
34kJ
Wind
ESE 3 kn
Temp
18°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 212, too small
  2. Tue 37, too small
  3. Wed 428, too small
  4. Thu 528, too small
  5. Fri 614, too small
  6. Sat 78, too small
  7. Sun 85, too small
  8. Mon 96, too small
  9. Tue 1012, too small
  10. Wed 117, 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 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Surf spot near Wellington, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov12, too small2 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.)79kJwind from the north-north-west, 26 knots, offshore15°C
Tue 3Nov7, too small1 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.)40kJwind from the north-north-west, 14 knots, offshore16°C
Wed 4Nov28, too small3 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.)182kJwind from the north-north-west, 15 knots, offshore17°C
Thu 5Nov28, too small3 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.)147kJwind from the north, 17 knots, offshore18°C
Fri 6Nov14, too small2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.)39kJwind from the north, 19 knots, offshore17°C
Sat 7Nov8, too small1 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.)21kJwind from the north, 17 knots, offshore17°C
Sun 8Nov5, too small1 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.)26kJwind from the north-north-west, 22 knots, offshore16°C
Mon 9Nov6, too small1 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.)34kJwind from the east-south-east, 3 knots18°C
Tue 10Nov12, too small2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.)52kJwind from the north, 21 knots, offshore17°C
Wed 11Nov7, too small1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.)24kJwind from the north-north-west, 25 knots, offshore16°C
Thu 12Nov7, too small1 ft13 shollow2 ft at break (est.)26kJwind from the south-south-east, 6 knots14°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 05:18 −0.6 mHigh 11:26 +0.6 mLow 17:59 −0.6 mHigh 23:52 +0.5 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 06:11 −0.6 mHigh 12:18 +0.6 mLow 18:50 −0.6 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 00:43 +0.5 mLow 07:05 −0.6 mHigh 13:11 +0.6 mLow 19:41 −0.5 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, its town, photos

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: 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.

Photos of Surf spot near Wellington

South coast, South Island in background - panoramio
Photo: Neil Stewart, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Southern Rock Lobster, Owhiro Bay Parade, Owhiro Bay, Wellington, NZ imported from iNaturalist photo 121271168
Photo: (c) eyrezer, some rights reserved (CC BY), CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Southern Rock Lobster, Island Bay, Wellington 6023, New Zealand imported from iNaturalist photo 29977398
Photo: (c) wild_wind, some rights reserved (CC BY), CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Surf spot near Wellington

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

The spot faces S (184°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (4°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 5). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 13°C in June, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 17°C in February, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Wellington. Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots.

Water about 14°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$1,660–US$3,150 each

about US$1,660–US$3,150 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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to WLG, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$845–US$1,750
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$34–US$54
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$342–US$564
Food7 days eating outabout US$302–US$564
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$134–US$221
Totalabout US$1,660–US$3,150

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

Closest

Wellington

about 20 min by car · 2 places to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 2 places to stay in Wellington · Booking.com

About Wellington its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Wellington, 10 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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 29h 15m

About 29h 15m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → WLG, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 35 min by road

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

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