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Manu Bay, New Zealand

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

Also within 20 km of Raglan

Watch this spot We email you when Manu Bay is worth the trip.

View west towards Manu Bay, Raglan
Manu Bay. Photo: Pseudopanax at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

About Manu Bay

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

The spot faces NW (307°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (127°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 750 m out (1 in 77). 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 21°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February, March and April, with about 1 good days in 7; in September, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Raglan, 6.7 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots.

Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 26 h 40 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

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

    See flights MDW → AKL · Skyscanner from about £740 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 50 from the airport to Manu Bay.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in RaglanAd

    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 Raglan · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Raglan · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Manu Bay on Google Maps · Directions

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Live webcam

Raglan Bar, 4 km away

Open the webcam on waikatoregion.govt.nz

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct534 ft8 ssoft190kJ15°C
Mon 19Oct494 ft7 smushy125kJ15°C
Tue 20Oct464 ft9 smushy212kJ16°C
Wed 21Oct374 ft8 smushy186kJ15°C
Thu 22Oct344 ft6 smushy103kJ15°C
Fri 23Oct423 ft6 smushy89kJ16°C
Sat 24Oct445 ft12 ssoft629kJ16°C
Sun 25Oct425 ft12 smushy556kJ15°C
Mon 26Oct434 ft12 smushy355kJ17°C
Tue 27Oct84 ft7 smushy126kJ17°C
Wed 28Oct435 ft9 ssoft450kJ15°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 AKL, changing at DFW, then 1h 50 by road. About 26h 40 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Raglan - Whale Bay

    Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 4 ft at 9 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Raglan - Manu Bay

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 9 kn (16 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Raglan - Whale Bay

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 9 kn (17 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Whale Bay

    Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 3 ft at 6 s, wind 7 kn (13 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Whale Bay

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 5 ft at 12 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to AKL, changing at DFW, then 1h 50 by road. About 26h 40 door to door

The plan picks the best of 6 spots near Raglan each day: Manu Bay, Ngarunui, Ngarunui Beach, Raglan - Manu Bay, Raglan - Whale Bay, Whale Bay.

The trip from Raglan, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,430–£2,735 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 AKL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£740–£1,530
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£100–£170
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£1,430–£2,735

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

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

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.