Cray bay
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
15Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 8 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Mon 2 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 125kJ
- Wind
- NW 14 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tue 3 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- NNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 161kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 230kJ
- Wind
- NE 7 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 61kJ
- Wind
- NW 10 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 68kJ
- Wind
- WSW 1 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 67kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 146, fair
- Mon 219, too small
- Tue 35, too small
- Wed 413, too small
- Thu 514, too small
- Fri 614, too small
- Sat 715, too small
- Sun 816, too small
- Mon 96, too small
- Tue 104, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best Apr–May, Aug, Oct2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 46, fair | 6 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 590kJ | wind from the north-east, 10 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 125kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 14 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 2 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 13, too small | 3 ft11 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 161kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 14, too small | 4 ft10 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 230kJ | wind from the north-east, 7 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 14, too small | 4 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 61kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 15, too small | 4 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 1 knot | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 16, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft11 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft11 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 13 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 5, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 24kJ | wind from the north, 15 knots | 19°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
- Sun 1 NovLow 04:52 −0.8 mHigh 11:09 +0.8 mLow 17:30 −0.8 mHigh 23:39 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 05:49 −0.8 mHigh 12:06 +0.8 mLow 18:28 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:37 +0.7 mLow 06:47 −0.8 mHigh 13:04 +0.8 mLow 19:25 −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.
Best time to go
best Apr–May, Aug, Oct
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
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 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
Cray bay 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
4 places
- Ocean beach 10.8 km away
- Mangakuri 15.5 km away
- Northen, ocean beach 22 km away
- Teawanga 23.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cray bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (118°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (298°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 54). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in September, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May, August and October, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Waimārama, 6.5 km away (about 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$1,740–US$3,290 each
about US$1,740–US$3,290 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 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to NPE, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$824–US$1,720 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$134–US$228 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$342–US$563 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$301–US$563 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$221 |
| Total | about US$1,740–US$3,290 |
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
11 min by car · 2 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Waimārama its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Te Awanga on Booking.com
38 min by car · 4 places to stay
- Beds in Haumoana on Booking.com
48 min by car · 6 places to stay
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 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 29h 35m
About 29h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → NPE, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 05m by road
Flights MDW → NPE on your dates · Skyscanner
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.