Pataua, New Zealand

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Parua Bay, 5 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: WRE (WRE), 16 km.

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

About Pataua

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

The spot faces NE (48°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (228°). 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 66). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in July, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February 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: Parua Bay, 5 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: WRE (WRE), 16 km.

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

Save this trip A link to come back to, or to send to the group.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 27 h 40 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

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
Getting there. 2 h 50 from the airport to Pataua.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Parua Bay, 5 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: WRE (WRE), 16 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Pataua · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Pataua · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Pataua on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Pataua, each day
Day	Score for experts	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	11, too small	2 ft5 smushy	25kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 9 knots, offshore	19°C
Mon 19Oct	11, too small	2 ft7 smushy	30kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots, offshore	20°C
Tue 20Oct	7, too small	1 ft5 smushy	11kJ	wind from the south, 7 knots, offshore	19°C
Wed 21Oct	5, too small	1 ft9 scrumbling	17kJ	wind from the south-west, 9 knots, offshore	19°C
Thu 22Oct	7, too small	1 ft9 scrumbling	18kJ	wind from the south-west, 9 knots, offshore	19°C
Fri 23Oct	4, too small	1 ft8 smushy	11kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots	21°C
Sat 24Oct	3, too small	1 ft8 smushy	8kJ	wind from the south, 4 knots	19°C
Sun 25Oct	3, too small	1 ft11 s	8kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots	19°C
Mon 26Oct	2, too small	1 ft5 smushy	4kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots	20°C
Tue 27Oct	7, too small	3 ft5 smushy	35kJ	wind from the north-west, 10 knots	24°C
Wed 28Oct	6, too small	2 ft5 smushy	21kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 10 knots	18°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

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Fly MDW to AKL, changing at DFW, then 2h 50 by road. About 27h 40 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to AKL, changing at DFW, then 2h 50 by road. About 27h 40 door to door

Rough cost

About £1,205–£2,360 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 AKL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£740–£1,530
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Hire car	6 days, shared	£100–£170
Food	7 days eating out	£230–£430
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£100–£165
Total		£1,205–£2,360

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

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.