Staying Home Sucks, home
New Plymouth - Coastal Walkway
New Plymouth, the nearest town, 6 km away. Photo: Gonzalobaeza, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Secrets

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

39Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 3 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 24 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
41kJ
Wind
NNW 6 kn
Temp
17°C

Tue 3 · 38 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 smushy
Energy
71kJ
Wind
NE 2 kn
Temp
18°C

Wed 4 · 22 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 ssoft
Energy
135kJ
Wind
NNE 5 kn
Temp
18°C

Thu 5 · 39 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 ssoft
Energy
99kJ
Wind
NNE 4 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 37 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
87kJ
Wind
NNE 7 kn
Temp
18°C

Sat 7 · 43 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
90kJ
Wind
NW 10 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 47 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 ssoft
Energy
313kJ
Wind
N 5 kn
Temp
17°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 224, poor
  2. Tue 338, too small
  3. Wed 422, too small
  4. Thu 539, too small
  5. Fri 637, poor
  6. Sat 743, poor
  7. Sun 847, fair
  8. Mon 919, poor
  9. Tue 100, too big
  10. Wed 115, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
  • Offshore: SEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–10 ftof swell
  • Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

Secrets does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Secrets, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov24, poor3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.)41kJwind from the north-north-west, 6 knots17°C
Tue 3Nov38, too small3 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.)71kJwind from the north-east, 2 knots18°C
Wed 4Nov22, too small2 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)135kJwind from the north-north-east, 5 knots18°C
Thu 5Nov39, too small3 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)99kJwind from the north-north-east, 4 knots19°C
Fri 6Nov37, poor4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)87kJwind from the north-north-east, 7 knots18°C
Sat 7Nov43, poor4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)90kJwind from the north-west, 10 knots17°C
Sun 8Nov47, fair3 ft12 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)313kJwind from the north, 5 knots17°C
Mon 9Nov19, poor3 ft11 ssoft1 ft at break (est.)227kJwind from the north-east, 16 knots19°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big7 ft7 smushy8 ft at break (est.)458kJwind from the north, 18 knots18°C
Wed 11Nov5, poor5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)140kJwind from the west-north-west, 14 knots17°C
Thu 12Nov26, poor3 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)115kJwind from the west, 12 knots15°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 03:48 +1.0 mLow 10:05 −1.1 mHigh 16:25 +1.1 mLow 22:53 −1.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:07 +0.9 mLow 11:19 −1.0 mHigh 17:42 +1.1 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 00:05 −1.1 mHigh 06:24 +0.9 mLow 12:30 −1.1 mHigh 18:52 +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

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: 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.

Live webcam

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Live webcam

In New Plymouth, the nearest town, 6 km away

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More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Secrets

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

The spot faces NW (332°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (152°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.0 km out (1 in 104). 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 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is New Plymouth, 5.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots.

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$1,640–US$3,120 each

about US$1,640–US$3,120 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 NPL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$839–US$1,740
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$1,640–US$3,120

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

Where to stay: New Plymouth

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Closest

New Plymouth

about 10 min by car · 45 places to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 45 places to stay in New Plymouth · Booking.com

About New Plymouth 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 → NPL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 30 min by road

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

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