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Aquatic centre, New Zealand

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

Also within 20 km of New Plymouth

All 12 on New Plymouth's map

Watch this spot We email you when Aquatic centre is worth the trip.

New Plymouth - Coastal Walkway
New Plymouth, the nearest town, 3 km away. Photo: Gonzalobaeza, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Aquatic centre

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

The spot faces N (351°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (171°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–17 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 950 m out (1 in 96). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is New Plymouth, 2.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 9 surf spots.

Water about 15°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

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

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

    See flights MDW → NPL · Skyscanner from about £745 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 30 min from the airport to Aquatic centre.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in New PlymouthAd

    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 New Plymouth · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in New Plymouth · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Aquatic centre on Google Maps · Directions

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Live webcam

Taranaki from New Plymouth, 1 km away

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct143 ft9 ssoft135kJ17°C
Mon 19Oct73 ft6 smushy75kJ17°C
Tue 20Oct113 ft8 smushy134kJ16°C
Wed 21Oct83 ft6 smushy76kJ16°C
Thu 22Oct54 ft7 smushy120kJ17°C
Fri 23Oct144 ft6 smushy112kJ17°C
Sat 24Oct154 ft12 ssoft396kJ16°C
Sun 25Oct184 ft12 ssoft406kJ16°C
Mon 26Oct84 ft12 smushy334kJ17°C
Tue 27Oct148 ft8 smushy729kJ17°C
Wed 28Oct286 ft7 smushy304kJ15°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 NPL, changing at DFW and AKL, then 30 min by road. About 28h 55 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 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 35 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to NPL, changing at DFW and AKL, then 30 min by road. About 28h 55 door to door

The plan picks the best of 13 spots near New Plymouth each day: Aquatic centre, Back Beach, Bell Block Reef, Belt Road, Bog Works, Boulders bay, Break water, Fitzroy Beach, Mikotai, Secrets, The groyne, Waitara(WBBRC)-Surf Club Side, Waiwakaiho River Mouth Reef, Waisys.

The trip from New Plymouth, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,355–£2,620 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 NPL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£745–£1,550
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£20–£35
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£1,355–£2,620

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

Places to eat near New Plymouth

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

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.