Staying Home Sucks, home
The Hokianga Harbour Northland. NZ
Omapere, the nearest town, 3 km away. Photo: Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

Waimamaku beach

Surf spot · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

60Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 65 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 ssoft
Energy
139kJ
Wind
NNE 11 kn
Temp
20°C

Wed 4 · 53 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 ssoft
Energy
300kJ
Wind
SW 3 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 55 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 ssoft
Energy
426kJ
Wind
NW 7 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 37 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
91kJ
Wind
N 11 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 17 out of 100

Swell
5 ft6 smushy
Energy
154kJ
Wind
NW 15 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 75 out of 100

Swell
4 ft13 ssoft
Energy
460kJ
Wind
SE 2 kn
Temp
16°C

Mon 9 · 75 out of 100

Swell
5 ft11 ssoft
Energy
632kJ
Wind
NNE 15 kn
Temp
19°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 278, good
  2. Tue 365, good
  3. Wed 453, fair
  4. Thu 555, fair
  5. Fri 637, poor
  6. Sat 717, poor
  7. Sun 875, good
  8. Mon 975, good
  9. Tue 100, too big
  10. Wed 110, too big

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
  • Best in Feb2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Waimamaku beach, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov78, good4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)214kJwind from the north-north-east, 14 knots, offshore18°C
Tue 3Nov65, good3 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)139kJwind from the north-north-east, 11 knots, offshore20°C
Wed 4Nov53, fair4 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)300kJwind from the south-west, 3 knots19°C
Thu 5Nov55, fair5 ft10 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)426kJwind from the north-west, 7 knots19°C
Fri 6Nov37, poor3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)91kJwind from the north, 11 knots20°C
Sat 7Nov17, poor5 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)154kJwind from the north-west, 15 knots17°C
Sun 8Nov75, good4 ft13 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)460kJwind from the south-east, 2 knots16°C
Mon 9Nov75, good5 ft11 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)632kJwind from the north-north-east, 15 knots, offshore19°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big8 ft8 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)804kJwind from the north, 8 knots19°C
Wed 11Nov0, too big8 ft9 ssoft10 ft at break (est.)954kJwind from the north-north-west, 15 knots18°C
Thu 12Nov0, too big6 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.)415kJwind from the west, 11 knots17°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 03:23 +0.9 mLow 09:40 −1.0 mHigh 16:02 +1.0 mLow 22:28 −0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 04:40 +0.8 mLow 10:53 −0.9 mHigh 17:16 +1.0 mLow 23:41 −1.0 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 05:55 +0.8 mLow 12:05 −0.9 mHigh 18:25 +1.0 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.

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Waimamaku beach

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

The spot faces SW (237°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (57°). 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 700 m out (1 in 70). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually February, with about 2 good days in 7; in September, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Omapere, 3.2 km away (about 10 min by car).

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$1,740–US$3,300 each

about US$1,740–US$3,300 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to AKL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$832–US$1,720
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$134–US$228
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$1,740–US$3,300

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

Where to stay: Omapere

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Closest

Omapere

about 10 min by car · 2 places to stay

about US$127/nightcountry average

See 2 places to stay in Omapere · Booking.com

About Omapere 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 40m

About 28h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 3h 55m by road

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

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The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.