Lake Ferry, New Zealand

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Lower Hutt, 26 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: WLG (WLG), 29 km.

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About Lake Ferry

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

The spot faces SW (209°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (29°). 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 650 m out (1 in 65). 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 17°C in February, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February, March and April, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Lower Hutt, 26 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: WLG (WLG), 29 km.

Water about 14°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 30 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. 50 min from the airport to Lake Ferry.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Lower Hutt, 26 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: WLG (WLG), 29 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Lake Ferry · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Lake Ferry · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Lake Ferry 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 Lake Ferry, each day
Day	Score for intermediates	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	0, too big	9 ft9 ssoft	1,134kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots	13°C
Mon 19Oct	0, too big	6 ft10 ssoft	769kJ	wind from the north, 6 knots	20°C
Tue 20Oct	0, too big	6 ft10 ssoft	643kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 5 knots	17°C
Wed 21Oct	53, good	5 ft9 ssoft	335kJ	wind from the south-west, 2 knots	20°C
Thu 22Oct	67, good	4 ft9 ssoft	258kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots	21°C
Fri 23Oct	60, good	4 ft8 smushy	154kJ	wind from the south-south-east, 0 knots	22°C
Sat 24Oct	47, fair	4 ft11 ssoft	376kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 11 knots	18°C
Sun 25Oct	40, fair	3 ft10 ssoft	192kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 14 knots, offshore	17°C
Mon 26Oct	15, too small	2 ft10 ssoft	94kJ	wind from the north-west, 18 knots	16°C
Tue 27Oct	17, poor	4 ft4 smushy	47kJ	wind from the north-west, 8 knots	17°C
Wed 28Oct	46, fair	4 ft8 ssoft	247kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 11 knots	13°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 50 min by road. About 29h 30 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.
Wed 21 Oct
Surf Lake Ferry
Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 2 kn (3 km/h).
Thu 22 Oct
Surf Lake Ferry
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 9 s, wind 3 kn (5 km/h).
Fri 23 Oct
Surf Lake Ferry
Best 13:00 to 16:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 0 kn (1 km/h).
Sat 24 Oct
Surf Lake Ferry
Best 13:00 to 16:00 local time: 4 ft at 11 s, wind 11 kn (21 km/h).
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to WLG, changing at DFW and AKL, then 50 min by road. About 29h 30 door to door

Rough cost

About £1,165–£2,305 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
Taxi	airport and back, shared	£50–£85
Food	7 days eating out	£230–£430
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£100–£165
Total		£1,165–£2,305

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

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