Is it worth the trip?
51Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 10 s
Mon 2 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 184kJ
- Wind
- NNW 15 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tue 3 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 221kJ
- Wind
- N 14 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 231kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 74 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 247kJ
- Wind
- SSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 110kJ
- Wind
- NNW 15 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 100kJ
- Wind
- NNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 smushy
- Energy
- 347kJ
- Wind
- WNW 13 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 230, poor
- Tue 347, fair
- Wed 464, good
- Thu 574, good
- Fri 621, poor
- Sat 744, poor
- Sun 832, poor
- Mon 972, good
- Tue 1056, fair
- Wed 1119, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 30, poor | 3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 184kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 15 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 47, fair | 4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 221kJ | wind from the north, 14 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 64, good | 3 ft11 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 231kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 74, good | 4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 247kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 21, poor | 4 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 110kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 15 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 44, poor | 4 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 100kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 9 knots | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 32, poor | 3 ft13 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 347kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 13 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 72, good | 4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 285kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 56, fair | 4 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 233kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 7 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 19, poor | 5 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 196kJ | wind from the north-west, 22 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 304kJ | wind from the west, 14 knots | 16°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 04:00 +0.9 mLow 10:18 −1.0 mHigh 16:39 +1.1 mLow 23:07 −1.0 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:22 +0.9 mLow 11:36 −1.0 mHigh 17:57 +1.1 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:23 −1.1 mHigh 06:40 +0.9 mLow 12:49 −1.0 mHigh 19:08 +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 . 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
Puniho road 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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More surf near here
3 places
- op 1.1 km away
- Arawahata Road 5.7 km away
- Green Meadows 6.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Puniho road
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (233°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (53°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 850 m out (1 in 85). 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). The town to stay in is Ōpunake, 2.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf 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$1,750–US$3,310 each
about US$1,750–US$3,310 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to NPL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$839–US$1,740 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$134–US$228 |
| 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$1,750–US$3,310 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Ōpunake its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Mahoe on Booking.com
about 50 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 40m
About 29h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → NPL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 1h 20m by road
Flights MDW → NPL on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
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.