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Wainui Beach
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
33Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 5 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- NW 12 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- N 8 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 50kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 46kJ
- Wind
- NW 12 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 55kJ
- Wind
- NNW 13 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 43kJ
- Wind
- NW 13 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Mon 9 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 31kJ
- Wind
- NE 13 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 242, too small
- Tue 318, too small
- Wed 412, too small
- Thu 521, too small
- Fri 636, poor
- Sat 755, fair
- Sun 841, too small
- Mon 916, too small
- Tue 1069, good
- Wed 1154, fair
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 in Oct2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Wainui Beach does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 62kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 15 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 12 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | wind from the north-east, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 36, poor | 3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 12 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 55, fair | 3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 55kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 41, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 13 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | wind from the north-east, 13 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 69, good | 4 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 80kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 16 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 39, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 2 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 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.
Best time to go
best in Oct
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
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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
Wainui Beach on Google Maps · Directions
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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More surf near here
5 places
- Stockroute 0.4 km away
- Pines 1.5 km away
- Sponge bay 2.1 km away
- The rock 2.1 km away
- The Island 2.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Wainui Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (124°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (304°). 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 600 m out (1 in 62). 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 month is usually October, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Gisborne, 8.7 km away (about 15 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to GIS, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$819–US$1,700 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$34 |
| 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$3,090 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 15 min by car · 12 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
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
Flights MDW → GIS 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.