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Gisborne, the nearest town, 9 km away. Photo: Pakoire, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Pines

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

15Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 8 s, 3 hours of offshore wind

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 22 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 ssoft
Energy
111kJ
Wind
NW 15 kn
Temp
19°C

Tue 3 · 8 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 ssoft
Energy
22kJ
Wind
NNW 8 kn
Temp
20°C

Wed 4 · 7 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 smushy
Energy
39kJ
Wind
N 8 kn
Temp
20°C

Thu 5 · 15 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 ssoft
Energy
118kJ
Wind
NE 6 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 16 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 ssoft
Energy
67kJ
Wind
NNW 10 kn
Temp
22°C

Sat 7 · 17 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
85kJ
Wind
NNW 13 kn
Temp
21°C

Sun 8 · 6 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 smushy
Energy
11kJ
Wind
NW 13 kn
Temp
21°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 222, too small
  2. Tue 38, too small
  3. Wed 47, too small
  4. Thu 515, too small
  5. Fri 616, too small
  6. Sat 717, too small
  7. Sun 86, too small
  8. Mon 93, too small
  9. Tue 1036, too small
  10. Wed 1125, too small

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 Oct, Dec2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Pines, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov22, too small3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)111kJwind from the north-west, 15 knots, offshore19°C
Tue 3Nov8, too small1 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)22kJwind from the north-north-west, 8 knots, offshore20°C
Wed 4Nov7, too small2 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.)39kJwind from the north, 8 knots20°C
Thu 5Nov15, too small3 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)118kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots19°C
Fri 6Nov16, too small2 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)67kJwind from the north-north-west, 10 knots, offshore22°C
Sat 7Nov17, too small4 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.)85kJwind from the north-north-west, 13 knots, offshore21°C
Sun 8Nov6, too small1 ft8 smushy1 ft at break (est.)11kJwind from the north-west, 13 knots, offshore21°C
Mon 9Nov3, too small1 ft9 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.)15kJwind from the north-east, 8 knots21°C
Tue 10Nov36, too small5 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)155kJwind from the north-north-west, 8 knots, offshore19°C
Wed 11Nov25, too small3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.)80kJwind from the north-west, 16 knots, offshore20°C
Thu 12Nov18, too small3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)68kJwind from the east-north-east, 2 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 06:07 −0.8 mHigh 12:26 +0.8 mLow 18:45 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 00:53 +0.7 mLow 07:05 −0.8 mHigh 13:24 +0.8 mLow 19:43 −0.7 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 01:52 +0.7 mLow 08:04 −0.7 mHigh 14:22 +0.7 mLow 20:42 −0.7 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 experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

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More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Pines

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

The spot faces SE (130°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (310°). 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 750 m out (1 in 73). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in July, 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 October and December, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Gisborne, 9.1 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 8 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

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$1,620–US$3,090 each

about US$1,620–US$3,090 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to GIS, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$819–US$1,700
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$20–US$34
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$1,620–US$3,090

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

Where to stay: Gisborne

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Closest

Gisborne

about 20 min by car · 12 places to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 12 places to stay in Gisborne · Booking.com

About Gisborne its beds, food and every spot near it

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 → GIS, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 20 min by road

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

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