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Mahanga

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

10Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sat 7: 4 ft swell at 5 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 8 out of 100

Swell
2 ft4 smushy
Energy
16kJ
Wind
N 7 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 7 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 smushy
Energy
10kJ
Wind
E 4 kn
Temp
18°C

Thu 5 · 5 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 smushy
Energy
46kJ
Wind
NE 10 kn
Temp
18°C

Fri 6 · 12 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
55kJ
Wind
N 9 kn
Temp
22°C

Sat 7 · 16 out of 100

Swell
4 ft5 smushy
Energy
64kJ
Wind
N 10 kn
Temp
21°C

Sun 8 · 8 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 smushy
Energy
39kJ
Wind
N 6 kn
Temp
21°C

Mon 9 · 3 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
22kJ
Wind
NE 13 kn
Temp
19°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 216, too small
  2. Tue 38, too small
  3. Wed 47, too small
  4. Thu 55, too small
  5. Fri 612, too small
  6. Sat 716, too small
  7. Sun 88, too small
  8. Mon 93, too small
  9. Tue 1018, too small
  10. Wed 1120, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–13 ftof swell
  • Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Mahanga, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov16, too small2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)33kJwind from the west-north-west, 6 knots, offshore20°C
Tue 3Nov8, too small2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)16kJwind from the north, 7 knots19°C
Wed 4Nov7, too small2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)10kJwind from the east, 4 knots18°C
Thu 5Nov5, too small2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)46kJwind from the north-east, 10 knots18°C
Fri 6Nov12, too small3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.)55kJwind from the north, 9 knots22°C
Sat 7Nov16, too small4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.)64kJwind from the north, 10 knots21°C
Sun 8Nov8, too small2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)39kJwind from the north, 6 knots21°C
Mon 9Nov3, too small2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)22kJwind from the north-east, 13 knots19°C
Tue 10Nov18, too small4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.)87kJwind from the north, 10 knots20°C
Wed 11Nov20, too small3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)45kJwind from the north-west, 8 knots, offshore20°C
Thu 12Nov17, too small2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)53kJwind from the south-east, 1 knot17°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 06:06 −0.8 mHigh 12:26 +0.8 mLow 18:45 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 00:53 +0.7 mLow 07:04 −0.8 mHigh 13:24 +0.8 mLow 19:43 −0.7 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 01:52 +0.7 mLow 08:04 −0.7 mHigh 14:22 +0.7 mLow 20:42 −0.7 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Mahanga

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

The spot faces E (83°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (263°). 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 1.1 km out (1 in 110). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Māhia, 6.9 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 16°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$1,730–US$3,280 each

about US$1,730–US$3,280 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to GIS, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$819–US$1,700
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$134–US$228
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$1,730–US$3,280

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

Where to stay: Māhia

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Closest

Māhia

about 15 min by car · 1 place to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 1 place to stay in Māhia · Booking.com

About Māhia 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 29h 40m

About 29h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → GIS, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 10m by road

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

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