Manakau Bar
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
38Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 6 ft swell at 11 s, 4 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 131kJ
- Wind
- NE 8 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 326kJ
- Wind
- NE 13 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 345kJ
- Wind
- NNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- N 8 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 47kJ
- Wind
- NNW 10 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 729kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 698kJ
- 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 327, too small
- Wed 434, too small
- Thu 538, too small
- Fri 618, too small
- Sat 710, too small
- Sun 836, too small
- Mon 963, good
- Tue 1044, too small
- Wed 1121, too small
- Thu 1228, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 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 experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 27, too small | 3 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 131kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 34, too small | 4 ft11 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 326kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 13 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 38, too small | 4 ft10 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 345kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 18, too small | 3 ft8 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | offshorewind from the north, 8 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 36, too small | 5 ft12 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 729kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 63, good | 6 ft11 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 698kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 44, too small | 4 ft11 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 347kJ | offshorewind from the north, 13 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 21, too small | 3 ft10 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 172kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 8 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 28, too small | 3 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 184kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 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 04:53 +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 18:37 +1.1 m
- Thu 5 NovLow 00:57 −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.
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
Manakau Bar 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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Photos of Manakau Bar
More surf near here
5 places
- Karekare 7.5 km away
- Piha 11.6 km away
- Whites Beach 14.4 km away
- Mission Cove 17.9 km away
- Te Henga 19.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Manakau Bar
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (199°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (19°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 32). 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 Piha.
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$1,670–US$3,170 each
about US$1,670–US$3,170 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$60–US$94 |
| 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$1,670–US$3,170 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
21 min by car · 2 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Piha its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Auckland on Booking.com
59 min by car · 27 places to stay
Nearest beds: Piha, 11 km (21 min by car)
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 45 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.
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.