Big River
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
20Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: too small (3 ft swell at 5 s)
Tue 3 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- NW 10 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Wed 4 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- NE 7 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- NW 10 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 43kJ
- Wind
- N 6 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 30kJ
- Wind
- NW 13 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Mon 9 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 s
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- SE 7 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 38, too small
- Wed 49, too small
- Thu 511, too small
- Fri 618, too small
- Sat 736, too small
- Sun 831, too small
- Mon 94, too small
- Tue 1022, too small
- Wed 1118, too small
- Thu 1234, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–13 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
Big River does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft8 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft10 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the north-east, 7 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 18, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 36, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | wind from the north, 6 knots | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 30kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft10 s1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the south-east, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 22, too small | 3 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 24kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 2 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 18, too small | 1 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Fri 13Nov | 37, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 17°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
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:52 +0.7 mLow 07:05 −0.8 mHigh 13:23 +0.8 mLow 19:43 −0.7 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 01:51 +0.7 mLow 08:04 −0.7 mHigh 14:22 +0.7 mLow 20:42 −0.7 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 02:51 +0.6 mLow 09:04 −0.7 mHigh 15:20 +0.7 mLow 21:40 −0.7 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).
- Jan1of 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
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec1of 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
Big River 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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More surf near here
5 places
- The pipe (midway beach) 6.2 km away
- Gizzy Pipe 6.3 km away
- Roberts rd 7.2 km away
- Cliffs 8.3 km away
- The Island 8.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Big River
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (119°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (299°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 750 m out (1 in 76). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°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 Gisborne, 7.6 km away (15 min by car).
Water about 16°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$1,620–US$3,080 each
about US$1,620–US$3,080 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 3 November 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$818–US$1,700 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$34 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$342–US$563 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$302–US$563 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$221 |
| Total | about US$1,620–US$3,080 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Gisborne
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15 min by car · 12 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Gisborne 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 3 November 2026.
Getting there: about 28h 50m
About 28h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → GIS, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 20 min by road
Flights MDW → GIS on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.