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Whites Beach, New Zealand

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

Also within 20 km of Piha

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

Auckland's West Coast Bays
Kohunui Bay, 1 km away. Photo: russellstreet, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Whites Beach

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

The spot faces W (254°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (74°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 21). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°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 September and October, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Piha, 5.1 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 wind sports spot.

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

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 25 h 40 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to Auckland International Airport (AKL), changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).

    See flights MDW → AKL · Skyscanner from about £740 returnAd

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

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in PihaAd

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

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

    See all places to stay 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 Piha · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Piha · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Whites Beach on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct185 ft9 smushy320kJ14°C
Mon 19Oct155 ft9 smushy296kJ14°C
Tue 20Oct205 ft6 smushy145kJ15°C
Wed 21Oct195 ft7 smushy205kJ14°C
Thu 22Oct114 ft10 smushy266kJ15°C
Fri 23Oct175 ft6 smushy138kJ15°C
Sat 24Oct445 ft13 shollow790kJ15°C
Sun 25Oct425 ft13 shollow872kJ15°C
Mon 26Oct284 ft12 shollow461kJ16°C
Tue 27Oct96 ft6 smushy276kJ17°C
Wed 28Oct265 ft10 smushy471kJ15°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 AKL, changing at DFW, then 50 min by road. About 25h 40 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 26 of 80.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 5 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 21 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Whites Beach

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 5 ft at 13 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to AKL, changing at DFW, then 50 min by road. About 25h 40 door to door

The plan picks the best of 3 spots near Piha each day: Karekare, Piha, Whites Beach.

The trip from Piha, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,385–£2,655 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 AKL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£740–£1,530
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£55–£90
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£1,385–£2,655

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

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · 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.