Cobden Tiphead
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
35Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 6 ft swell at 11 s
Tue 3 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 270kJ
- Wind
- NNE 11 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Wed 4 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 337kJ
- Wind
- N 3 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 222kJ
- Wind
- NNE 10 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 204kJ
- Wind
- N 10 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sat 7 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 93kJ
- Wind
- NNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sun 8 · 74 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 871kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Mon 9 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 519kJ
- Wind
- N 5 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 218, poor
- Tue 321, too small
- Wed 420, too small
- Thu 515, too small
- Fri 619, too small
- Sat 721, too small
- Sun 874, good
- Mon 945, fair
- Tue 1050, fair
- Wed 1133, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 18, poor | 7 ft9 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 714kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 21 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 21, too small | 6 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 270kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 11 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 20, too small | 4 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 337kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 15, too small | 4 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 222kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 10 knots | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 19, too small | 6 ft6 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 204kJ | wind from the north, 10 knots | 16°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 21, too small | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 93kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 15°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 74, good | 6 ft11 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 871kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 14°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 45, fair | 5 ft10 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 519kJ | wind from the north, 5 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 50, fair | 7 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 530kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 33, poor | 7 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 460kJ | wind from the north-east, 12 knots | 16°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 25, poor | 7 ft9 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 644kJ | wind from the west, 15 knots | 15°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 NovHigh 05:07 +0.9 mLow 11:19 −0.9 mHigh 17:37 +1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 00:01 −1.0 mHigh 06:21 +0.9 mLow 12:31 −0.9 mHigh 18:50 +1.0 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 01:13 −1.0 mHigh 07:32 +0.9 mLow 13:40 −1.0 mHigh 19:58 +1.0 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).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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
Cobden Tiphead 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
2 places
- The tip 0.3 km away
- Blaketown wedge 1.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cobden Tiphead
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (292°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (112°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.6 km out (1 in 161). 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 19°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Greymouth, 4.1 km away (about 10 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$1,770–US$3,360 each
about US$1,770–US$3,360 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 CHC, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$859–US$1,780 |
| 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$1,770–US$3,360 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Greymouth
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 10 min by car · 18 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Greymouth 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
About 29h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CHC, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 3h 05m by road
Flights MDW → CHC 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.