Manakau Bar
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
67Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 10 s
Tue 3 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 131kJ
- Wind
- NE 12 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 76 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 297kJ
- Wind
- NE 14 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 79 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 246kJ
- Wind
- NW 2 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 100kJ
- Wind
- N 7 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 102kJ
- Wind
- NW 11 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 341kJ
- Wind
- WNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 470kJ
- Wind
- NE 14 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 367, good
- Wed 476, good
- Thu 579, good
- Fri 653, fair
- Sat 744, poor
- Sun 863, good
- Mon 956, fair
- Tue 1086, good
- Wed 1131, poor
- Thu 1217, poor
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.
Manakau Bar does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 67, good | 3 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 131kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 12 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 76, good | 4 ft11 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 297kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 14 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 79, good | 4 ft10 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 246kJ | wind from the north-west, 2 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 53, fair | 4 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 100kJ | offshorewind from the north, 7 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 44, poor | 4 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 102kJ | wind from the north-west, 11 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 63, good | 3 ft13 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 341kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 56, fair | 5 ft11 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 470kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 14 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 86, good | 4 ft11 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 347kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 31, poor | 3 ft10 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 172kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 14 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 17, poor | 3 ft13 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 262kJ | wind from the west, 16 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 04:53 +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 beginners: 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.