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New Plymouth - Coastal Walkway
New Plymouth, the nearest town, 2 km away. Photo: Gonzalobaeza, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Fitzroy Beach

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

17Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 4 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 15 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
64kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
18°C

Wed 4 · 12 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
184kJ
Wind
ENE 5 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 18 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 ssoft
Energy
134kJ
Wind
NE 4 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 15 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
90kJ
Wind
NNE 6 kn
Temp
18°C

Sat 7 · 20 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
103kJ
Wind
N 8 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 21 out of 100

Swell
4 ft12 smushy
Energy
438kJ
Wind
NNE 5 kn
Temp
18°C

Mon 9 · 7 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 ssoft
Energy
301kJ
Wind
ENE 17 kn
Temp
19°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 210, too small
  2. Tue 315, too small
  3. Wed 412, too small
  4. Thu 518, too small
  5. Fri 615, too small
  6. Sat 720, too small
  7. Sun 821, too small
  8. Mon 97, too small
  9. Tue 1021, poor
  10. Wed 1121, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
  • Offshore: SEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–13 ftof swell
  • Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Fitzroy Beach, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov10, too small3 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.)98kJwind from the north-north-west, 6 knots17°C
Tue 3Nov15, too small3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)64kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots18°C
Wed 4Nov12, too small3 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)184kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots19°C
Thu 5Nov18, too small3 ft9 ssoft1 ft at break (est.)134kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots19°C
Fri 6Nov15, too small4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)90kJwind from the north-north-east, 6 knots18°C
Sat 7Nov20, too small4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)103kJwind from the north, 8 knots17°C
Sun 8Nov21, too small4 ft12 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)438kJwind from the north-north-east, 5 knots18°C
Mon 9Nov7, too small4 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)301kJwind from the east-north-east, 17 knots19°C
Tue 10Nov21, poor9 ft8 smushy9 ft at break (est.)872kJwind from the north, 16 knots18°C
Wed 11Nov21, poor7 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.)370kJwind from the west, 11 knots17°C
Thu 12Nov7, too small2 ft13 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)186kJwind from the west-south-west, 12 knots15°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 03:48 +1.0 mLow 10:05 −1.1 mHigh 16:25 +1.1 mLow 22:53 −1.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:07 +0.9 mLow 11:19 −1.0 mHigh 17:42 +1.1 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 00:05 −1.1 mHigh 06:24 +0.9 mLow 12:30 −1.1 mHigh 18:52 +1.1 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 experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

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Taranaki from New Plymouth, 3 km away

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More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Fitzroy Beach

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

The spot faces NW (335°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (155°). 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 1.2 km out (1 in 123). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is New Plymouth, 1.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 9 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 17°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$1,640–US$3,120 each

about US$1,640–US$3,120 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to NPL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$839–US$1,740
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$20–US$34
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$342–US$564
Food7 days eating outabout US$302–US$564
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$134–US$221
Totalabout US$1,640–US$3,120

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

Where to stay: New Plymouth

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Closest

New Plymouth

about 5 min by car · 45 places to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 45 places to stay in New Plymouth · Booking.com

About New Plymouth 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 28h 50m

About 28h 50m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → NPL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 30 min by road

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

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