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Hawke's Bay, the wider area. Photo: Lesbardd, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Boat harbours

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

29Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: too small (3 ft swell at 6 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 15 out of 100

Swell
2 ft4 smushy
Energy
14kJ
Wind
N 7 kn
Temp
22°C

Wed 4 · 12 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 smushy
Energy
28kJ
Wind
NE 8 kn
Temp
20°C

Thu 5 · 15 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
74kJ
Wind
NNE 11 kn
Temp
20°C

Fri 6 · 35 out of 100

Swell
4 ft5 smushy
Energy
68kJ
Wind
N 11 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 35 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
87kJ
Wind
N 11 kn
Temp
24°C

Sun 8 · 50 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 smushy
Energy
74kJ
Wind
N 3 kn
Temp
25°C

Mon 9 · 9 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
34kJ
Wind
NE 13 kn
Temp
22°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 222, too small
  2. Tue 315, too small
  3. Wed 412, too small
  4. Thu 515, too small
  5. Fri 635, poor
  6. Sat 735, poor
  7. Sun 850, fair
  8. Mon 99, too small
  9. Tue 1035, poor
  10. Wed 1148, fair

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 16 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Boat harbours, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov22, too small2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)22kJwind from the north-west, 7 knots23°C
Tue 3Nov15, too small2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)14kJwind from the north, 7 knots22°C
Wed 4Nov12, too small2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)28kJwind from the north-east, 8 knots20°C
Thu 5Nov15, too small3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)74kJwind from the north-north-east, 11 knots20°C
Fri 6Nov35, poor4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.)68kJwind from the north, 11 knots26°C
Sat 7Nov35, poor4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)87kJwind from the north, 11 knots24°C
Sun 8Nov50, fair3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)74kJwind from the north, 3 knots25°C
Mon 9Nov9, too small2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)34kJwind from the north-east, 13 knots22°C
Tue 10Nov35, poor4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)127kJwind from the north-north-east, 11 knots21°C
Wed 11Nov48, fair3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)76kJwind from the north-north-west, 8 knots23°C
Thu 12Nov43, too small3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)66kJwind from the south-west, 1 knot, offshore18°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 06:06 −0.8 mHigh 12:26 +0.8 mLow 18:45 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 00:53 +0.7 mLow 07:04 −0.8 mHigh 13:24 +0.8 mLow 19:43 −0.7 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 01:52 +0.7 mLow 08:04 −0.7 mHigh 14:22 +0.7 mLow 20:42 −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.

Map

the spot and its town

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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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

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Boat harbours

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

The spot faces E (81°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (261°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 56). 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 Māhia, 9.5 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to GIS, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$819–US$1,700
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$134–US$228
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$1,730–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

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Closest

Māhia

about 20 min by car · 1 place to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 1 place to stay in Māhia · Booking.com

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

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

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