Daniels Reef
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
6Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 6 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft7 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- NNE 11 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 45kJ
- Wind
- NE 12 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 52kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- N 14 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- WNW 13 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 14kJ
- Wind
- N 12 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- N 21 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 23, too small
- Tue 30, too small
- Wed 45, too small
- Thu 511, too small
- Fri 64, too small
- Sat 78, too small
- Sun 83, too small
- Mon 93, too small
- Tue 109, too small
- Wed 115, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 3, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | wind from the north, 12 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 0, too small | under 1 ft7 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 11 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 5, too small | 3 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 45kJ | wind from the north-east, 12 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 11, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 5 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 4, too small | 2 ft7 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the north, 14 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft6 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | wind from the north, 12 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 3, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | wind from the north, 21 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 9, too small | 3 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | wind from the north, 13 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft7 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft7 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 11 knots, offshore | 17°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 01:04 +0.9 mLow 07:21 −1.1 mHigh 13:42 +1.0 mLow 20:02 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:07 +0.8 mLow 08:23 −1.0 mHigh 14:45 +1.0 mLow 21:06 −0.9 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:14 +0.8 mLow 09:28 −0.9 mHigh 15:49 +0.9 mLow 22:10 −0.9 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, its town, photos
Daniels 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.
Photos of Daniels Reef
More surf near here
5 places
- Goat Island Reef 3.4 km away
- Hubbards reef 6.5 km away
- Pakiri 8.1 km away
- Pakiri beach 8.1 km away
- T Reef 8.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Daniels Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (102°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (282°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 18). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Leigh, 2.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 1 climbing area.
Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$3,300 each
about US$1,740–US$3,300 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 AKL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$832–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$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$1,740–US$3,300 |
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 5 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Leigh its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Matakana on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 7 places to stay
- Beds in Mangawhai on Booking.com
about 55 min by car · 10 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 26h 30m
About 26h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 1h 40m by road
Flights MDW → AKL 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.