Staying Home Sucks, home
Waimārama and Te Motu-o-Kura, August 2026
Waimārama, the nearest town, 20 km away. Photo: Jakob (TheLoyalOrder), CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Mangakuri

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

44Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 4 ft swell at 7 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 13 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
22kJ
Wind
NNW 5 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 33 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 smushy
Energy
166kJ
Wind
NE 7 kn
Temp
18°C

Thu 5 · 46 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 ssoft
Energy
230kJ
Wind
N 8 kn
Temp
20°C

Fri 6 · 44 out of 100

Swell
3 ft4 smushy
Energy
35kJ
Wind
SW 8 kn
Temp
25°C

Sat 7 · 53 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
108kJ
Wind
NNW 10 kn
Temp
24°C

Sun 8 · 57 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 smushy
Energy
109kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
21°C

Mon 9 · 19 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 smushy
Energy
36kJ
Wind
NE 9 kn
Temp
20°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 253, fair
  2. Tue 313, too small
  3. Wed 433, too small
  4. Thu 546, fair
  5. Fri 644, poor
  6. Sat 753, fair
  7. Sun 857, fair
  8. Mon 919, too small
  9. Tue 1043, poor
  10. Wed 1164, good

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–10 ftof swell
  • Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
  • Best Aug, Oct2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Mangakuri does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Mangakuri, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov53, fair3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)137kJwind from the west-north-west, 4 knots, offshore21°C
Tue 3Nov13, too small1 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)22kJwind from the north-north-west, 5 knots, offshore19°C
Wed 4Nov33, too small3 ft10 smushy3 ft at break (est.)166kJwind from the north-east, 7 knots18°C
Thu 5Nov46, fair4 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)230kJwind from the north, 8 knots20°C
Fri 6Nov44, poor3 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.)35kJwind from the south-west, 8 knots25°C
Sat 7Nov53, fair4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)108kJwind from the north-north-west, 10 knots, offshore24°C
Sun 8Nov57, fair4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)109kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots, offshore21°C
Mon 9Nov19, too small2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)36kJwind from the north-east, 9 knots20°C
Tue 10Nov43, poor5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)169kJwind from the north-north-west, 12 knots, offshore22°C
Wed 11Nov64, good4 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)76kJwind from the west-north-west, 13 knots, offshore22°C
Thu 12Nov53, fair3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)70kJwind from the north-north-east, 0 knots16°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 05:46 −0.8 mHigh 12:04 +0.8 mLow 18:25 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 00:35 +0.7 mLow 06:45 −0.8 mHigh 13:02 +0.8 mLow 19:23 −0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 01:34 +0.7 mLow 07:44 −0.7 mHigh 14:01 +0.8 mLow 20:21 −0.8 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 beginners: 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

4 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Mangakuri

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

The spot faces SE (116°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (296°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 60). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in September, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually August and October, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Waimārama.

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$1,740–US$3,290 each

about US$1,740–US$3,290 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 NPE, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$825–US$1,720
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$1,740–US$3,290

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

Where to stay: Waimārama

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Waimārama

about 35 min by car · 2 places to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 2 places to stay in Waimārama · Booking.com

About Waimārama its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Waimārama, 20 km (about 35 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 29h 45m

About 29h 45m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → NPE, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 20m by road

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

Saved: this link opens the same trip

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The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.