Surf

Intermediate

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Tue 3 Nov – Mon 9 Nov

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42Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 3 ft swell at 12 s

Tue 3 · 45 out of 100

Swell: 3 ft9 ssoft
Energy: 118kJ
Wind: NE 9 kn
Temp: 17°C

Wed 4 · 27 out of 100

Swell: 2 ft12 ssoft
Energy: 104kJ
Wind: NE 7 kn
Temp: 18°C

Thu 5 · 47 out of 100

Swell: 3 ft10 ssoft
Energy: 136kJ
Wind: ENE 10 kn
Temp: 18°C

Fri 6 · 20 out of 100

Swell: 3 ft5 smushy
Energy: 39kJ
Wind: NNW 11 kn
Temp: 18°C

Sat 7 · 30 out of 100

Swell: 4 ft6 smushy
Energy: 81kJ
Wind: NW 10 kn
Temp: 16°C

Sun 8 · 50 out of 100

Swell: 3 ft12 ssoft
Energy: 260kJ
Wind: NNW 2 kn
Temp: 16°C

Mon 9 · 43 out of 100

Swell: 3 ft10 ssoft
Energy: 221kJ
Wind: ENE 17 kn
Temp: 19°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast

Mon 220, too small
Tue 345, fair
Wed 427, too small
Thu 547, fair
Fri 620, poor
Sat 730, poor
Sun 850, fair
Mon 943, poor
Tue 100, too big
Wed 117, poor

The spot in six facts

Faces Wtakes swell from the W
Offshore: Ewind from the land
Intermediate +who it suits
Works 2–9 ftof swell
Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
Best Feb, Apr–Jun2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Mokau, each day
Day	Score for intermediates	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Mon 2Nov	20, too small	2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.)	57kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 7 knots	16°C
Tue 3Nov	45, fair	3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)	118kJ	wind from the north-east, 9 knots	17°C
Wed 4Nov	27, too small	2 ft12 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)	104kJ	wind from the north-east, 7 knots	18°C
Thu 5Nov	47, fair	3 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)	136kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 10 knots, offshore	18°C
Fri 6Nov	20, poor	3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.)	39kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 11 knots	18°C
Sat 7Nov	30, poor	4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)	81kJ	wind from the north-west, 10 knots	16°C
Sun 8Nov	50, fair	3 ft12 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)	260kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots	16°C
Mon 9Nov	43, poor	3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)	221kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 17 knots, offshore	19°C
Tue 10Nov	0, too big	6 ft7 smushy8 ft at break (est.)	385kJ	wind from the north, 19 knots	16°C
Wed 11Nov	7, poor	4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)	115kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 13 knots	16°C
Thu 12Nov	35, poor	4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)	115kJ	wind from the west, 12 knots	15°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 NovHigh 03:44 +1.0 mLow 10:01 −1.1 mHigh 16:21 +1.1 mLow 22:48 −1.1 m
Tue 3 NovHigh 05:04 +0.9 mLow 11:15 −1.0 mHigh 17:38 +1.1 m
Wed 4 NovLow 00:00 −1.1 mHigh 06:20 +1.0 mLow 12:25 −1.1 mHigh 18:48 +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 Mon 2 Nov, 15:16 UTC. 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 Feb, Apr–Jun

Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).

Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.

Typical, not a forecast.

Map

the spot and its town

Mokau on Google Maps · Directions

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

Surf spot

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About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Mokau

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

The spot faces W (285°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (105°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 1.6 km out (1 in 161). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February, April, May and June, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. Waikawau, 26 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Taumarunui, 59 km. Nearest airport: New Plymouth Airport (NPL), 51 km.

Water about 17°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$1,400–US$2,740 each

about US$1,400–US$2,740 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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
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
Hire car	6 days, shared	about US$134–US$228
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$1,400–US$2,740

No town nearby, so no stay is in it. For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: nearest beds 59 km away

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

No town nearby

Waikawau, 26 km away, is the nearest town we list; we have not checked places to stay there. Nearest beds: Taumarunui, 59 km. Nearest airport: New Plymouth Airport (NPL), 51 km.

See places to stay near Taumarunui, 59 km away · Booking.com

Getting there: about 28h 20m

About 28h 20m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 3h 35m by road

Flights MDW → AKL on your dates · AviasalesAd eSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd

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

In the water

Surf lessons in Mokau · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire in Mokau · GetYourGuide

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.

Is it worth the trip?

Forecast: next 10 days

The spot in six facts

Full forecast

Tide

Best time to go

Map

About

About Mokau

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,400–US$2,740 each

Where to stay: nearest beds 59 km away

Getting there: about 28h 20m

In the water

Saved: this link opens the same trip