Staying Home Sucks, home
Karioitahi Surf Life Saving Club House
Karioitahi. Photo: russellstreet, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Karioitahi

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

32Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 9: 5 ft swell at 11 s, 4 hours of offshore wind

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 25 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 ssoft
Energy
133kJ
Wind
NNE 15 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 30 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 ssoft
Energy
276kJ
Wind
NE 13 kn
Temp
20°C

Thu 5 · 31 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 ssoft
Energy
328kJ
Wind
N 4 kn
Temp
18°C

Fri 6 · 15 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 ssoft
Energy
105kJ
Wind
N 9 kn
Temp
19°C

Sat 7 · 7 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 smushy
Energy
88kJ
Wind
WNW 10 kn
Temp
18°C

Sun 8 · 31 out of 100

Swell
5 ft12 ssoft
Energy
638kJ
Wind
SSW 4 kn
Temp
17°C

Mon 9 · 55 out of 100

Swell
5 ft11 ssoft
Energy
575kJ
Wind
ENE 12 kn
Temp
19°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 325, too small
  2. Wed 430, too small
  3. Thu 531, too small
  4. Fri 615, too small
  5. Sat 77, too small
  6. Sun 831, too small
  7. Mon 955, fair
  8. Tue 1050, fair
  9. Wed 1124, too small
  10. Thu 128, too small

The spot in five 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

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Karioitahi, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov25, too small3 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)133kJwind from the north-north-east, 15 knots, offshore19°C
Wed 4Nov30, too small4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)276kJwind from the north-east, 13 knots, offshore20°C
Thu 5Nov31, too small4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)328kJwind from the north, 4 knots18°C
Fri 6Nov15, too small2 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)105kJwind from the north, 9 knots19°C
Sat 7Nov7, too small2 ft10 smushy4 ft at break (est.)88kJwind from the west-north-west, 10 knots18°C
Sun 8Nov31, too small5 ft12 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)638kJwind from the south-south-west, 4 knots17°C
Mon 9Nov55, fair5 ft11 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)575kJwind from the east-north-east, 12 knots, offshore19°C
Tue 10Nov50, fair6 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.)435kJwind from the north, 9 knots19°C
Wed 11Nov24, too small6 ft8 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)363kJwind from the north-north-west, 12 knots18°C
Thu 12Nov8, too small3 ft13 smushy6 ft at break (est.)316kJwind from the west, 17 knots17°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 04:53 +0.8 mLow 11:06 −1.0 mHigh 17:28 +1.0 mLow 23:52 −1.0 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 06:09 +0.9 mLow 12:17 −1.0 mHigh 18:38 +1.1 m
  • Thu 5 NovLow 00:56 −1.1 mHigh 07:15 +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.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of Karioitahi

Karioitahi Beach - panoramio
Photo: Tony Hugo, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Karioitahi Beach Sunset - panoramio
Photo: Tony Hugo, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Karioitahi Beach Sunset
Photo: russellstreet, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Karioitahi

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

The spot faces W (249°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (69°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 650 m out (1 in 63). 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 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Waiuku, 8.2 km away (about 15 min by car).

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$3,190 each

about US$1,680–US$3,190 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 AKL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$832–US$1,720
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$74–US$121
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$1,680–US$3,190

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

Where to stay: Waiuku

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Closest

Waiuku

about 15 min by car · 5 places to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 5 places to stay in Waiuku · Booking.com

About Waiuku 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 25h 40m

About 25h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 55 min by road

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

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