Riviera's, New Zealand

No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Te Anau, is 175 km away. Nearest airport: WKA (WKA), 98 km.

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About Riviera's

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

The spot faces NW (309°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (129°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 45). 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 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, Te Anau, is 175 km away. Nearest airport: WKA (WKA), 98 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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From Chicago: about 31 h 45 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 20 from the airport to Riviera's.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Te Anau, is 175 km away. Nearest airport: WKA (WKA), 98 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Riviera's · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Riviera's · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Riviera's on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

Riviera's 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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Riviera's, each day
Day	Scorefor Intermediate	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	18, poor	4 ft8 smushy	161kJ	wind from the west, 11 knots	14°C
Mon 19Oct	16, poor	5 ft10 smushy	419kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 13 knots	13°C
Tue 20Oct	25, poor	5 ft7 smushy	197kJ	wind from the north-west, 2 knots	14°C
Wed 21Oct	18, poor	5 ft10 smushy	348kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 11 knots	14°C
Thu 22Oct	31, poor	6 ft8 smushy	316kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots	13°C
Fri 23Oct	13, poor	5 ft12 smushy	705kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 8 knots	14°C
Sat 24Oct	0, too big	6 ft11 ssoft	753kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 6 knots	13°C
Sun 25Oct	0, too big	7 ft11 ssoft	1,190kJ	wind from the north-east, 6 knots	13°C
Mon 26Oct	5, poor	4 ft11 smushy	394kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 15 knots	14°C
Tue 27Oct	0, too big	8 ft9 smushy	826kJ	wind from the west, 16 knots	13°C
Wed 28Oct	0, too big	7 ft7 smushy	438kJ	wind from the west, 18 knots	11°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 20 by road. About 31h 45 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf Riviera's
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 5 ft at 7 s, wind 2 kn (3 km/h).
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 28 of 80.
Thu 22 Oct
Surf Riviera's
Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 6 ft at 8 s, wind 6 kn (11 km/h).
Fri 23 Oct
Surf Riviera's
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 5 ft at 12 s, wind 8 kn (15 km/h).
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to ZQN, changing at DFW and AKL, then 2h 20 by road. About 31h 45 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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