Current bay
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
12Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: too small (3 ft swell at 7 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Wed 4 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Thu 5 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Fri 6 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- WSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 39kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Sun 8 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Mon 9 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 67kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 25, too small
- Tue 34, too small
- Wed 410, too small
- Thu 510, too small
- Fri 614, too small
- Sat 79, too small
- Sun 811, too small
- Mon 916, too small
- Tue 1010, too small
- Wed 1111, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–13 ftof swell
- Water 13 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 5, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | wind from the south, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 5 knots | 12°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 13°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 14°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 14, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 3 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 6 knots | 13°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 12°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 16, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 12°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 10, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 11, too small | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 128kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 14 knots | 14°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 10°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 03:39 −0.8 mHigh 10:02 +0.8 mLow 16:19 −0.8 mHigh 22:30 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:43 −0.8 mHigh 11:04 +0.8 mLow 17:19 −0.8 mHigh 23:31 +0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:43 −0.9 mHigh 12:02 +0.8 mLow 18:16 −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
Current 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
5 places
- Wainak bar 5.1 km away
- Wainakarua Bay 6.7 km away
- Kakanui 11.6 km away
- Campbell´s bay 11.9 km away
- Katiki 11.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Current bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (103°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (283°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.3 km out (1 in 130). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 10°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in January, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Hampden, 5.4 km away (about 10 min by car).
Water about 13°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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: 3 towns
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
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Hampden its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Hillgrove on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 6 places to stay
- Beds in Moeraki on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 7 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 30h 25m
About 30h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CHC, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), then 4h 30m 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.
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.