New Zealand · Australasia
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Shipwreck Bay is a powerful left-hand point break at the southern end of Ninety Mile Beach in New Zealand's Northland region. The wave wraps around a rocky headland and peels along a mix of volcanic rock shelves and compacted sand corridors, producing long, racing walls with occasional barrel sections. The remote, wild coastline backed by native bush gives sessions an expeditionary quality. On the right day, this is one of the longest and most powerful waves in New Zealand.
The west-facing orientation picks up groundswells from the Tasman Sea generated by weather systems crossing from Australia. The season runs year-round but the most consistent large swells arrive from May through September. The wave needs at least 4-6ft of westerly swell to wrap around the headland properly. Easterly offshore winds are required to hold up the racing faces, most reliable in the early morning.
The take-off zone sits at the top of the point where the swell first refracts around the rocky headland. From here, the wave peels left for 200-400 metres on a good day, connecting through multiple sections. On massive swells, the outside section activates and rides can last several minutes. Position yourself on the point and let the wave sweep you down the line. The channel alongside the rocks provides the paddle-out.
Exposed boulders and rock shelves in the impact zone create fall hazards. The wave travels at high speed, and wipeouts carry you across uneven bottom. Strong currents sweep down the point on bigger swells. The remote location means help is distant in an emergency. Rip currents form alongside the headland. The water is cold (14-18C) year-round.
Access requires driving to the southern end of Ninety Mile Beach (four-wheel drive recommended for the final section of unsealed road). Alternatively, approach from the Ahipara end of the beach. A short walk from the parking area reaches the beach. No facilities exist at the break. The nearest town, Ahipara, is a 15-minute drive.
The remote location keeps crowds thin. Expect 5-15 surfers on a good day, mostly committed locals from Ahipara and travelling surfers who have made the journey. The vibe is relaxed and friendly among the small community who know this wave. Weekdays are often empty.
The wave speed increases dramatically as the swell builds above 6ft. On bigger days, a step-up or a semi-gun provides the paddle speed and control needed to match the wave's pace. The best connected rides happen on a mid to high incoming tide when the rock shelves are covered and the sections link. Check conditions from the headland before committing to the paddle; the wave can look smaller than it is from beach level. Bring a full 4/3mm wetsuit with boots year-round.
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Based on historical weekly averages
Combining historical conditions with school holiday crowd pressure to find the sweet spot.
How busy each week is based on school holiday overlap from feeder markets.
The timing score combines two signals: historical conditions quality (how good the skiing or surfing typically is in a given week, based on 5 years of weather data) and crowd pressure (how many of this destination's feeder markets have school holidays that week).
Crowd pressure is weighted by each feeder country's share of visitors. If 40% of a resort's visitors come from France and France is on holiday, that contributes 0.40 to the crowd pressure score. Crowds can reduce the timing score by up to 35%, ensuring conditions still matter most.
Scores: 5 = great conditions with low crowds (the sweet spot). 4 = great conditions with moderate crowds, or good conditions with low crowds. 3 = average. 2 = below average conditions or very crowded. 1 = poor conditions or peak holiday chaos.
Last 29 days of logged conditions.
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Create Profile →Current conditions refresh every 3 hours when the cron runs. Hourly data updates every 30 minutes. The 7-day forecast, luck factor, and packing notes are all pre-computed at the same time.
We compare the 7-day forecast to the last 5 years of marine data for the same week at Shipwreck Bay. The delta tells you whether conditions are shaping up better, worse, or about the same as a typical mid-June.
We score each day of the 7-day forecast using the same algorithm as the leaderboard, and highlight the highest scorer.
Open-Meteo's Marine API (swell height, period, water temperature) and Weather API (wind and conditions).
Honestly, no. Every break has tide windows, swell directions and reef contours that a global model cannot see. Treat the score as a starting point, then check a local cam.
The best week for surf at Shipwreck Bay is the week of 30 November (score 3/5) with low crowds.
Decent swell running. Plenty to work with. Reasonable period putting some grunt behind each wave. Breezy. Some surface chop to deal with. Conditions improving through the afternoon.
Heads up: rip risk elevated, and rocks exposed at low tide.
Indicators derived from forecast data, not official warnings. Always check local lifeguard or official advice.
Crystal clear water: ~17m visibility
Daily scores over the last 12 months at Shipwreck Bay