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Lyall Bay, New Zealand

Stay in Wellington: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Wellington

All 13 on Wellington's map

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Lyall Bay
Lyall Bay. Photo: Mike Dickison / Giantflightlessbirds, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Lyall Bay

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

The spot faces S (177°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (357°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.1 km out (1 in 109). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in June, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 17°C in February, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February, March and April, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Wellington, 9.5 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 surf spots and 3 wind sports spots.

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

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From Chicago: about 29 h door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to WLG, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL).

    See flights MDW → WLG · Skyscanner from about £750 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 20 min from the airport to Lyall Bay.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in WellingtonAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Wellington · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Wellington · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Lyall Bay on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

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

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

DayScoreInter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct08 ft9 ssoft1,071kJ13°C
Mon 19Oct06 ft10 ssoft671kJ14°C
Tue 20Oct146 ft10 ssoft563kJ15°C
Wed 21Oct605 ft9 ssoft294kJ16°C
Thu 22Oct684 ft9 ssoft216kJ16°C
Fri 23Oct573 ft8 smushy138kJ16°C
Sat 24Oct674 ft10 ssoft302kJ15°C
Sun 25Oct553 ft11 ssoft192kJ14°C
Mon 26Oct272 ft10 ssoft71kJ14°C
Tue 27Oct254 ft5 smushy65kJ15°C
Wed 28Oct694 ft8 ssoft188kJ14°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

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to WLG, changing at DFW and AKL, then 20 min by road. About 29h door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf 156.0

    Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 6 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf 156.0

    Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 4 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Lyall Bay

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Lyall Bay

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 3 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Lyall Bay

    Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to WLG, changing at DFW and AKL, then 20 min by road. About 29h door to door

The plan picks the best of 9 spots near Wellington each day: 156.0, Airport Rights, Bombers, Breaker Bay, Houghton Bay, Lyall Bay, lyall bay middles, Te Ikaamaru Bay, The Island (Island Bay).

The trip from Wellington, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,355–£2,620 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to WLG, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£750–£1,560
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£15–£25
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£225–£375
Food7 days eating out£230–£430
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£100–£165
Total£1,355–£2,620

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

Places to eat near Wellington

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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