Otarawairere bay
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
43Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 6 s
Tue 3 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 43kJ
- Wind
- N 8 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 74kJ
- Wind
- NE 8 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 118kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 69kJ
- Wind
- N 9 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 95kJ
- Wind
- N 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 84kJ
- Wind
- NNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 45kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 337, poor
- Wed 446, fair
- Thu 554, fair
- Fri 631, poor
- Sat 731, poor
- Sun 850, fair
- Mon 924, too small
- Tue 1012, poor
- Wed 1119, poor
- Thu 1240, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 37, poor | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 74kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 54, fair | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 118kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 31, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | wind from the north, 9 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 31, poor | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 50, fair | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 9 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 24, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 45kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 12, poor | 3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | wind from the north, 15 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 19, poor | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 168kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 13 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 40, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | wind from the 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
- Tue 3 NovHigh 01:36 +0.7 mLow 07:50 −0.8 mHigh 14:13 +0.8 mLow 20:32 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 02:40 +0.7 mLow 08:53 −0.8 mHigh 15:14 +0.8 mLow 21:35 −0.8 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 03:45 +0.7 mLow 09:56 −0.8 mHigh 16:15 +0.8 mLow 22:36 −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.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec1of 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 and its town
Otarawairere bay 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.
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Whakatāne Harbour
Whakaari/White Island from Whakatāne, 2 km away
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More surf near here
4 places
- Ohope Beach West End 0.9 km away
- Ohope beach 2 km away
- Coastlands Beach 3.5 km away
- Tarawera 21.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Otarawairere bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (45°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (225°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 39). 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). The town to stay in is Whakatāne, 4.7 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
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$1,620–US$3,100 each
about US$1,620–US$3,100 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 WHK, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$825–US$1,710 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$40 |
| 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$1,620–US$3,100 |
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
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about 10 min by car · 2 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Whakatāne its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Ōhope on Booking.com
about 10 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 28h 50m
About 28h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → WHK, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 30 min by road
Flights MDW → WHK on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
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.