Blacks reef
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
14Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: too small (3 ft swell at 10 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 115kJ
- Wind
- NE 7 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 208kJ
- Wind
- N 7 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 72kJ
- Wind
- NNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 18kJ
- Wind
- NNW 10 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft14 s
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- W 2 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Mon 9 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 34kJ
- Wind
- NNE 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 217, too small
- Tue 34, too small
- Wed 415, too small
- Thu 528, too small
- Fri 616, too small
- Sat 77, too small
- Sun 84, too small
- Mon 99, too small
- Tue 108, too small
- Wed 115, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 115kJ | wind from the north-east, 7 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 28, too small | 3 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 208kJ | offshorewind from the north, 7 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 72kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft14 s2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the west, 2 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 34kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | offshorewind from the north, 10 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft14 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 18°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 05:59 −0.8 mHigh 12:17 +0.9 mLow 18:38 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:46 +0.7 mLow 06:57 −0.8 mHigh 13:15 +0.8 mLow 19:36 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 01:45 +0.7 mLow 07:56 −0.8 mHigh 14:13 +0.8 mLow 20:34 −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
Blacks reef on Google Maps · Directions
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.
More surf near here
5 places
- Waikokopu bay 1.4 km away
- Rolling Stones 2.1 km away
- Mahanga 5.8 km away
- Mahia reef 7.3 km away
- Boat harbours 7.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Blacks reef
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 sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.0 km out (1 in 103). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Māhia, 6.9 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
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$1,730–US$3,280 each
about US$1,730–US$3,280 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 2 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$819–US$1,700 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$134–US$228 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$342–US$564 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$302–US$564 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$221 |
| Total | about US$1,730–US$3,280 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Māhia
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 Māhia 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 29h 40m
About 29h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → GIS, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 10m 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.
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.