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Ocean beach, New Zealand

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

Also within 20 km of Waimārama

Watch this spot We email you when Ocean beach is worth the trip.

Waimārama and Te Motu-o-Kura, August 2026
Waimārama, the nearest town, 7 km away. Photo: Jakob (TheLoyalOrder), CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Ocean beach

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

The spot faces E (108°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (288°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.2 km out (1 in 116). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in September, 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 August, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Waimārama, 6.7 km away (about 15 min by car).

Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

Save this trip A link to come back to, or to send to the group.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 29 h 25 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. MDW to NPE, changing at DFW and AKL.

    See flights MDW → NPE · Skyscanner from about £735 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 55 min from the airport to Ocean beach.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in WaimāramaAd

    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 Waimārama · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Waimārama · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Ocean beach on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct07 ft8 ssoft584kJ14°C
Mon 19Oct464 ft9 ssoft291kJ17°C
Tue 20Oct415 ft10 ssoft440kJ16°C
Wed 21Oct514 ft9 ssoft281kJ19°C
Thu 22Oct524 ft9 ssoft200kJ20°C
Fri 23Oct403 ft8 ssoft114kJ21°C
Sat 24Oct554 ft11 ssoft415kJ22°C
Sun 25Oct313 ft9 ssoft107kJ19°C
Mon 26Oct202 ft9 ssoft56kJ24°C
Tue 27Oct153 ft4 smushy20kJ24°C
Wed 28Oct111 ft9 ssoft19kJ16°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 NPE, changing at DFW and AKL, then 55 min by road. About 29h 25 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Ocean beach

    Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 5 ft at 10 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Ocean beach

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 9 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Cray bay

    Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 4 ft at 9 s, wind 3 kn (5 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Cray bay

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 3 ft at 8 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Ocean beach

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 11 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to NPE, changing at DFW and AKL, then 55 min by road. About 29h 25 door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Waimārama each day: Cray bay, Ocean beach.

The trip from Waimārama, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,385–£2,665 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 NPE, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£735–£1,530
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£60–£100
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£1,385–£2,665

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.