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Waikuku Beach, New Zealand

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

Watch this spot We email you when Waikuku Beach is worth the trip.

Amberly, State Highway 1
Amberley, the nearest town, 14 km away. Photo: Ulrich Lange, Bochum, Germany, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Waikuku Beach

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

The spot faces E (105°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (285°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 1.6 km out (1 in 161). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 10°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 18°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually June, July and August, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Amberley.

Water about 12°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. 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 26 h 45 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to CHC, changing at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

    See flights MDW → CHC · Skyscanner from about £765 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 50 min from the airport to Waikuku Beach.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Nearest beds: Amberley, 14 km (about 25 min by car)Ad

    No town with beds to book is nearer Waikuku Beach: plan on the drive each day you surf.

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

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

    See all places to stay in Amberley, 14 km away 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 Amberley · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Amberley · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Waikuku Beach on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct31 ft5 smushy8kJ13°C
Mon 19Oct21 ft4 smushy1kJ14°C
Tue 20Oct1under 1 ft4 s1kJ13°C
Wed 21Oct21 ft5 smushy2kJ15°C
Thu 22Oct31 ft3 smushy1kJ19°C
Fri 23Oct11 ft3 smushy1kJ15°C
Sat 24Oct31 ft4 smushy2kJ16°C
Sun 25Oct31 ft5 smushy3kJ18°C
Mon 26Oct31 ft4 smushy5kJ19°C
Tue 27Oct103 ft6 smushy51kJ20°C
Wed 28Oct51 ft4 smushy2kJ15°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 expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to CHC, changing at SFO, then 50 min by road. About 26h 45 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: under 1 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 1 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 1 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 1 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 1 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to CHC, changing at SFO, then 50 min by road. About 26h 45 door to door

The trip from Amberley, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,400–£2,700 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 CHC, estimated from distance and season, changing at SFO, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£765–£1,585
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£45–£80
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£1,400–£2,700

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

Places to eat near Amberley

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

Nearest beds: Amberley, 14 km (about 25 min by car) · 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.