Karekare
Surf spot · New Zealand
That date has passed, so this trip starts today.
Is it worth the trip?
59Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 11 s, 4 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 69 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 134kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 77 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 349kJ
- Wind
- NE 12 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 315kJ
- Wind
- NW 2 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 54kJ
- Wind
- NNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 97kJ
- Wind
- N 10 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 643kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 584kJ
- Wind
- ENE 11 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 369, good
- Wed 477, good
- Thu 570, good
- Fri 639, too small
- Sat 730, poor
- Sun 848, fair
- Mon 937, poor
- Tue 1056, fair
- Wed 1148, fair
- Thu 1242, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Feb3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 69, good | 3 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 134kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 77, good | 4 ft11 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 349kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 12 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 70, good | 4 ft10 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 315kJ | wind from the north-west, 2 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 39, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 54kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 30, poor | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 97kJ | wind from the north, 10 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 48, fair | 5 ft12 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 643kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 37, poor | 5 ft10 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 584kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 56, fair | 4 ft11 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 296kJ | wind from the north, 13 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 48, fair | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 177kJ | wind from the north-west, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 42, poor | 3 ft12 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 283kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 10 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 13Nov | 67, good | 4 ft12 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 461kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 7 knots | 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
- Tue 3 NovHigh 04:52 +0.8 mLow 11:05 −1.0 mHigh 17:27 +1.0 mLow 23:52 −1.0 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 06:09 +0.9 mLow 12:16 −1.0 mHigh 18:37 +1.1 m
- Thu 5 NovLow 00:56 −1.1 mHigh 07:14 +1.0 mLow 13:19 −1.1 mHigh 19:37 +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.
Best time to go
best in Feb
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec2of 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, its town, photos
Karekare on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Karekare
More surf near here
5 places
- Piha 4.3 km away
- Whites Beach 6.9 km away
- Manakau Bar 7.5 km away
- Te Henga 11.8 km away
- O'neals 12.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Karekare
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (258°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (78°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 30). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. 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). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually February, with about 3 good days in 7; in September and October, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Karekare, 1.3 km away (1 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 wind sports 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$1,680–US$3,180 each
about US$1,680–US$3,180 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
| 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 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$67–US$107 |
| 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$1,680–US$3,180 |
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
1 min by car · 2 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Karekare its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Piha on Booking.com
14 min by car · 2 places to stay
- Beds in Auckland on Booking.com
45 min by car · 27 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 25h 35m
About 25h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 50 min 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.
In the water
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.