Is it worth the trip?
18Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 5 ft swell at 6 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 s
- Energy
- 14kJ
- Wind
- NNE 13 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft13 s
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- NNE 10 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 s
- Energy
- 92kJ
- Wind
- E 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 s
- Energy
- 146kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 s
- Energy
- 92kJ
- Wind
- NNE 10 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 s
- Energy
- 100kJ
- Wind
- NNW 11 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 s
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- NW 7 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 13, too small
- Mon 24, too small
- Tue 32, too small
- Wed 417, too small
- Thu 532, too small
- Fri 618, too small
- Sat 710, too small
- Sun 819, too small
- Mon 911, too small
- Tue 105, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft11 s1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the north, 13 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 4, too small | 2 ft4 s1 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 13 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 2, too small | under 1 ft13 s1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 10 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 17, too small | 4 ft6 s3 ft at break (est.) | 92kJ | wind from the east, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 32, too small | 5 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.) | 146kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 18, too small | 4 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.) | 92kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 10 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 10, too small | 4 ft6 s3 ft at break (est.) | 100kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 11 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft6 s3 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft6 s3 ft at break (est.) | 44kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 5, too small | 2 ft5 s2 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the north, 15 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft7 s2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 13 knots | 18°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
- Sun 1 NovLow 05:57 −0.9 mHigh 12:18 +0.9 mLow 18:34 −0.8 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:40 +0.8 mLow 06:54 −0.9 mHigh 13:16 +0.9 mLow 19:34 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 01:41 +0.7 mLow 07:54 −0.8 mHigh 14:17 +0.8 mLow 20:36 −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
Mania reef 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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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
- Opotere 6.2 km away
- pauanui 8.8 km away
- Sailors Grave 10.6 km away
- Onemana 11 km away
- Whangamata Estuary 16.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Mania reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (102°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (282°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea is about 15°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Pauanui, 6.5 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$1,740–US$3,300 each
about US$1,740–US$3,300 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 30 October 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$831–US$1,720 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$134–US$228 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$342–US$563 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$301–US$563 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$221 |
| Total | about US$1,740–US$3,300 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
11 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Pauanui its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Tairua on Booking.com
19 min by car · 16 places to stay
- Beds in Whangamatā on Booking.com
31 min by car · 2 places to stay
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 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 26h 50m
About 26h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 2h 05m by road
Flights MDW → AKL on your dates · Skyscanner
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.