Rats Reef, New Zealand

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Gisborne, 11 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: GIS (GIS), 11 km.

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About Rats Reef

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

The spot faces SE (141°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (321°). 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 900 m out (1 in 91). 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 months are usually October and December, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Gisborne, 11 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: GIS (GIS), 11 km. Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.

Water about 15°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 29 h door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to GIS, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL).
See flights MDW → GIS · Skyscanner from about £730 returnAd
Getting there. 30 min from the airport to Rats Reef.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Gisborne, 11 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: GIS (GIS), 11 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Rats Reef · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Rats Reef · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Rats Reef on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Rats Reef, each day
Day	Score for experts	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Mon 19Oct	37, fair	5 ft8 ssoft	372kJ	wind from the south-east, 5 knots	15°C
Tue 20Oct	26, too small	5 ft9 smushy	321kJ	wind from the south-east, 6 knots	16°C
Wed 21Oct	32, too small	5 ft9 ssoft	344kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 1 knot	17°C
Thu 22Oct	27, too small	4 ft9 ssoft	226kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots	21°C
Fri 23Oct	17, too small	3 ft8 smushy	112kJ	wind from the south-west, 5 knots	18°C
Sat 24Oct	35, too small	4 ft9 ssoft	305kJ	wind from the north-west, 12 knots, offshore	24°C
Sun 25Oct	23, too small	3 ft9 ssoft	168kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots, offshore	22°C
Mon 26Oct	14, too small	2 ft10 ssoft	92kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 15 knots, offshore	20°C
Tue 27Oct	6, too small	1 ft8 ssoft	16kJ	wind from the north-west, 12 knots, offshore	22°C
Wed 28Oct	4, too small	1 ft5 smushy	4kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 15 knots, offshore	23°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 Tue 20 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

Tue 20 Oct
Travel out
Fly MDW to GIS, changing at DFW and AKL, then 30 min by road. About 29h door to door
Wed 21 Oct
Surf Rats Reef
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 1 kn (2 km/h).
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 4 ft at best.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 4 ft at best.
Sun 25 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Mon 26 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to GIS, changing at DFW and AKL, then 30 min by road. About 29h door to door

Rough cost

About £1,115–£2,215 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 GIS, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£730–£1,520
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Taxi	airport and back, shared	£20–£35
Food	7 days eating out	£230–£430
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£100–£165
Total		£1,115–£2,215

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

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Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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