Haast Beach, New Zealand

No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Timaru, is 187 km away. Nearest airport: WKA (WKA), 99 km.

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About Haast Beach

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces NW (322°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (142°). 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 750 m out (1 in 76). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, April, May and June, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Timaru, is 187 km away. Nearest airport: WKA (WKA), 99 km.

Water about 13°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 32 h door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to ZQN, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL).
See flights MDW → ZQN · Skyscanner from about £780 returnAd
Getting there. 2 h 35 from the airport to Haast Beach.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Timaru, is 187 km away. Nearest airport: WKA (WKA), 99 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Haast Beach · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Haast Beach · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Haast Beach on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Haast Beach, each day
Day	Score for intermediates	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	25, poor	5 ft6 smushy	130kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots	14°C
Mon 19Oct	29, poor	4 ft7 smushy	109kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots	14°C
Tue 20Oct	35, poor	4 ft8 ssoft	152kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots	14°C
Wed 21Oct	23, poor	3 ft10 ssoft	183kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 1 knot	14°C
Thu 22Oct	43, fair	4 ft7 smushy	139kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots	14°C
Fri 23Oct	46, fair	4 ft10 ssoft	259kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots	14°C
Sat 24Oct	49, good	5 ft10 ssoft	456kJ	wind from the north-east, 4 knots	14°C
Sun 25Oct	9, poor	6 ft10 smushy	526kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 8 knots	14°C
Mon 26Oct	12, poor	4 ft7 smushy	138kJ	wind from the north-east, 21 knots	15°C
Tue 27Oct	0, too big	9 ft8 smushy	1,021kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 23 knots	13°C
Wed 28Oct	0, too big	7 ft7 smushy	410kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 15 knots	13°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Fly MDW to ZQN, changing at DFW and AKL, then 2h 35 by road. About 32h door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf Haast Beach
Best 13:00 to 16:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).
Wed 21 Oct
Surf Haast Beach
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 3 ft at 10 s, wind 1 kn (1 km/h).
Thu 22 Oct
Surf Haast Beach
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 7 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).
Fri 23 Oct
Surf Haast Beach
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).
Sat 24 Oct
Surf Haast Beach
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 5 ft at 10 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to ZQN, changing at DFW and AKL, then 2h 35 by road. About 32h door to door

Rough cost

About £1,245–£2,455 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return MDW to ZQN, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£780–£1,625
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Hire car	6 days, shared	£100–£170
Food	7 days eating out	£230–£430
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£100–£165
Total		£1,245–£2,455

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

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Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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