White rock, New Zealand

No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Lower Hutt, is 53 km away. Nearest airport: WLG (WLG), 54 km.

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About White rock

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

The spot faces SE (151°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (331°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 6). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. 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 month is usually February, with about 3 good days in 7; in June, July and September, about 1. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Lower Hutt, is 53 km away. Nearest airport: WLG (WLG), 54 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 29 h 55 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to WLG, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL).
See flights MDW → WLG · Skyscanner from about £750 returnAd
Getting there. 1 h 15 from the airport to White rock.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Lower Hutt, is 53 km away. Nearest airport: WLG (WLG), 54 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in White rock · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in White rock · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

White rock on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at White rock, each day
Day	Score for intermediates	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	0, too big	9 ft9 shollow	1,214kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots	12°C
Mon 19Oct	0, too big	7 ft10 shollow	941kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots	19°C
Tue 20Oct	0, too big	7 ft10 shollow	792kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots	15°C
Wed 21Oct	50, good	5 ft9 shollow	366kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots	16°C
Thu 22Oct	59, good	4 ft9 shollow	216kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots, offshore	19°C
Fri 23Oct	63, good	4 ft10 shollow	287kJ	wind from the east, 4 knots	16°C
Sat 24Oct	59, good	5 ft11 shollow	440kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 15 knots, offshore	19°C
Sun 25Oct	66, good	4 ft11 shollow	343kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 21 knots, offshore	17°C
Mon 26Oct	32, too small	3 ft10 shollow	134kJ	wind from the north-west, 24 knots, offshore	17°C
Tue 27Oct	22, poor	4 ft5 shollow	80kJ	wind from the north-west, 22 knots, offshore	17°C
Wed 28Oct	52, good	5 ft8 shollow	297kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 20 knots, offshore	15°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 WLG, changing at DFW and AKL, then 1h 15 by road. About 29h 55 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.
Wed 21 Oct
Surf White rock
Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 2 kn (3 km/h).
Thu 22 Oct
Surf White rock
Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 4 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.
Fri 23 Oct
Surf White rock
Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).
Sat 24 Oct
Surf White rock
Best 13:00 to 16:00 local time: 5 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to WLG, changing at DFW and AKL, then 1h 15 by road. About 29h 55 door to door

Rough cost

About £1,215–£2,390 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 WLG, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£750–£1,560
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		£1,215–£2,390

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

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