Staying Home Sucks, home
Slope point is the most Southerly point of the South Island. The ever present force of the Southerly winds carves the trees into surreal forms. - panoramio
Slope Point, the nearest town, 2 km away. Photo: grumpylumixuser, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Dinner Plates

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

46Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 48 out of 100

Swell
5 ft8 scrumbling
Energy
268kJ
Wind
WSW 4 kn
Temp
14°C

Wed 4 · 76 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
247kJ
Wind
ESE 4 kn
Temp
17°C

Thu 5 · 32 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
73kJ
Wind
W 2 kn
Temp
16°C

Fri 6 · 32 out of 100

Swell
3 ft4 smushy
Energy
32kJ
Wind
E 3 kn
Temp
19°C

Sat 7 · 42 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
187kJ
Wind
E 6 kn
Temp
16°C

Sun 8 · 38 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 smushy
Energy
251kJ
Wind
ESE 6 kn
Temp
13°C

Mon 9 · 23 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
100kJ
Wind
ESE 13 kn
Temp
11°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 219, too small
  2. Tue 348, fair
  3. Wed 476, good
  4. Thu 532, too small
  5. Fri 632, poor
  6. Sat 742, poor
  7. Sun 838, poor
  8. Mon 923, poor
  9. Tue 1047, fair
  10. Wed 1129, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–10 ftof swell
  • Water 12 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Dinner Plates does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Dinner Plates, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov19, too small2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)45kJwind from the west, 13 knots14°C
Tue 3Nov48, fair5 ft8 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)268kJwind from the west-south-west, 4 knots14°C
Wed 4Nov76, good4 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)247kJwind from the east-south-east, 4 knots17°C
Thu 5Nov32, too small2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)73kJwind from the west, 2 knots16°C
Fri 6Nov32, poor3 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)32kJwind from the east, 3 knots19°C
Sat 7Nov42, poor3 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)187kJwind from the east, 6 knots16°C
Sun 8Nov38, poor4 ft10 smushy5 ft at break (est.)251kJwind from the east-south-east, 6 knots13°C
Mon 9Nov23, poor3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)100kJwind from the east-south-east, 13 knots11°C
Tue 10Nov47, fair3 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)136kJwind from the east, 9 knots15°C
Wed 11Nov29, poor3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)78kJwind from the south, 10 knots10°C
Thu 12Nov42, poor4 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)267kJwind from the west-north-west, 15 knots9°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 02:34 −0.9 mHigh 08:56 +0.9 mLow 15:12 −0.9 mHigh 21:26 +0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 03:41 −1.0 mHigh 10:03 +0.9 mLow 16:16 −0.9 mHigh 22:31 +0.9 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 04:45 −1.0 mHigh 11:05 +0.9 mLow 17:15 −1.0 mHigh 23:30 +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 and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

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More surf near here

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Dinner Plates

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

The spot faces S (172°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (352°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 32). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 11°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 14°C in January, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Slope Point. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 12°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. 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$1,800–US$3,400 each

about US$1,800–US$3,400 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to IVC, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$884–US$1,830
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$134–US$228
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$342–US$563
Food7 days eating outabout US$301–US$563
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$134–US$221
Totalabout US$1,800–US$3,400

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Slope Point

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Slope Point

about 5 min by car

about US$127/nightcountry average

See places to stay in Slope Point · Booking.com

About Slope Point its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest town: Slope Point, 2 km (about 5 min by car)

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 30h 55m

About 30h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → IVC, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 20m by road

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

Saved: this link opens the same trip

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The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.