Goat Island Reef
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
8Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 5 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- NE 10 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 103kJ
- Wind
- ENE 18 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 78kJ
- Wind
- NNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 43kJ
- Wind
- N 16 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 50kJ
- Wind
- NNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 34kJ
- Wind
- NNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft12 s
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- NNE 13 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 38, too small
- Wed 46, too small
- Thu 58, too small
- Fri 63, too small
- Sat 714, too small
- Sun 86, too small
- Mon 91, too small
- Tue 104, too small
- Wed 1110, too small
- Thu 126, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Jan–Mar1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 8, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the north-east, 10 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 6, too small | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 103kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 18 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 8, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 3, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | wind from the north, 16 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 14, too small | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 9 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 6, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 34kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft12 s1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 13 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 4, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | wind from the north, 18 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 10, too small | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | wind from the west, 14 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 6, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the west, 13 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
- 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
- Thu 5 NovHigh 04:20 +0.8 mLow 10:33 −0.9 mHigh 16:50 +0.9 mLow 23:11 −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.
Best time to go
best Jan–Mar
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, 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
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Goat Island 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.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Daniels Reef 3.4 km away
- Pakiri 5.7 km away
- Pakiri beach 5.7 km away
- Hubbards reef 9.9 km away
- T Reef 11.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Goat Island Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (4°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (184°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 52). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For beginners the best months are usually January, February and March, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Leigh, 2.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
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 50 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.