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Ava avarua, Cook Islands

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

Also within 20 km of Avarua

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Palm Grove's Beach, Vaimaaga, Rarotonga - panoramio (1)
Near Ava avarua. Photo: Bob Linsdell, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Ava avarua

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

The spot faces S (194°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (14°). 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 250 m out (1 in 26). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 25°C in July, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 28°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January and March, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Avarua, 5.9 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 dive sites.

Water about 25°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 22 h 55 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to RAR, changing at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).

    See flights ORD → RAR · Skyscanner from about £585 returnAd
  2. Getting there. 30 min from the airport to Ava avarua.

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in AvaruaAd

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

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

    See all places to stay in Avarua (ad) 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.

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

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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 Ava avarua, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct7, poor4 ft10 smushy335kJwind from the south-south-east, 31 knots24°C
Mon 19Oct0, too big6 ft10 smushy652kJwind from the south-south-west, 20 knots22°C
Tue 20Oct0, too big8 ft9 smushy884kJwind from the south-south-east, 12 knots21°C
Wed 21Oct0, too big7 ft10 smushy972kJwind from the south-south-east, 13 knots22°C
Thu 22Oct0, too big8 ft10 smushy1,317kJwind from the east-south-east, 13 knots22°C
Fri 23Oct0, too big8 ft11 smushy1,531kJwind from the south-south-east, 16 knots21°C
Sat 24Oct0, too big7 ft9 smushy756kJwind from the south-east, 17 knots22°C
Sun 25Oct0, too big10 ft11 smushy2,125kJwind from the south-east, 15 knots22°C
Mon 26Oct0, too big8 ft11 scrumbling1,559kJwind from the east-south-east, 18 knots22°C
Tue 27Oct0, too big9 ft11 smushy1,756kJwind from the east-south-east, 18 knots22°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

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly ORD to RAR, changing at HNL, then 30 min by road. About 22h 55 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to RAR, changing at HNL, then 30 min by road. About 22h 55 door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Avarua each day: Ava avarua, Black Rock.

The trip from Avarua, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,020–£1,985 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to RAR, estimated from distance and season, changing at HNL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£585–£1,220
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£15–£25
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£165–£280
Food7 days eating out£155–£290
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£65–£105
Total£1,020–£1,985

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

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