90 Mile Beach, New Zealand

No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Kerikeri, is 76 km away. Nearest airport: KAT (KAT), 13 km.

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About 90 Mile Beach

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

The spot faces W (267°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (87°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 850 m out (1 in 85). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually February, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Kerikeri, is 76 km away. Nearest airport: KAT (KAT), 13 km.

Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 28 h 55 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to KAT, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL).
See flights MDW → KAT · Skyscanner from about £735 returnAd
Getting there. 35 min from the airport to 90 Mile Beach.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Kerikeri, is 76 km away. Nearest airport: KAT (KAT), 13 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in 90 Mile Beach · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in 90 Mile Beach · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

90 Mile Beach 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 90 Mile Beach, each day
Day	Score for intermediates	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	25, poor	5 ft9 ssoft	326kJ	wind from the south, 14 knots	16°C
Mon 19Oct	26, poor	4 ft8 smushy	209kJ	wind from the south, 9 knots	16°C
Tue 20Oct	30, poor	5 ft9 ssoft	330kJ	wind from the north, 0 knots	15°C
Wed 21Oct	28, poor	5 ft9 smushy	301kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots	16°C
Thu 22Oct	33, poor	4 ft10 smushy	283kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 9 knots	16°C
Fri 23Oct	23, poor	3 ft8 ssoft	112kJ	wind from the south, 9 knots	16°C
Sat 24Oct	49, good	5 ft13 ssoft	696kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots	16°C
Sun 25Oct	57, good	5 ft12 ssoft	610kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots	16°C
Mon 26Oct	52, good	5 ft12 ssoft	715kJ	wind from the north, 5 knots	18°C
Tue 27Oct	17, poor	4 ft6 smushy	100kJ	wind from the north-west, 13 knots	19°C
Wed 28Oct	35, poor	5 ft7 smushy	188kJ	wind from the north-west, 9 knots	17°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 KAT, changing at DFW and AKL, then 35 min by road. About 28h 55 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf 90 Mile Beach
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 0 kn (1 km/h).
Wed 21 Oct
Surf 90 Mile Beach
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 8 kn (14 km/h).
Thu 22 Oct
Surf 90 Mile Beach
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, wind 9 kn (17 km/h).
Fri 23 Oct
Surf 90 Mile Beach
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 3 ft at 8 s, wind 9 kn (17 km/h).
Sat 24 Oct
Surf 90 Mile Beach
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 5 ft at 13 s, wind 2 kn (3 km/h).
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to KAT, changing at DFW and AKL, then 35 min by road. About 28h 55 door to door

Rough cost

About £1,120–£2,225 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 KAT, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£735–£1,530
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		£1,120–£2,225

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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