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Sailors Grave, New Zealand

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

Also within 20 km of Tairua

  • pauanui Surf spot · 2.2 km from Tairua
  • Mania reef Surf spot · 10.9 km from Tairua
  • Opotere Surf spot · 12.3 km from Tairua
  • Onemana Surf spot · 17.2 km from Tairua

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

NZ110415 Mount Paku 03
Tairua, the nearest town, 2 km away. Photo: Oren Rozen, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Sailors Grave

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

The spot faces NE (58°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (238°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 56). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February, March and April, with about 2 good days in 7; in August, October and November, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Tairua, 2.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

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 26 h 45 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. 2 h from the airport to Sailors Grave.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in TairuaAd

    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 Tairua · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Tairua · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Sailors Grave on Google Maps · Directions

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

Sailors Grave does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

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

DayScoreInter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct111 ft4 smushy7kJ16°C
Mon 19Oct121 ft5 smushy6kJ18°C
Tue 20Oct81 ft5 smushy3kJ18°C
Wed 21Oct71 ft10 scrumbling9kJ19°C
Thu 22Oct111 ft8 scrumbling9kJ20°C
Fri 23Oct71 ft8 scrumbling7kJ20°C
Sat 24Oct5under 1 ft7 s2kJ22°C
Sun 25Oct6under 1 ft10 s4kJ20°C
Mon 26Oct61 ft5 smushy3kJ21°C
Tue 27Oct233 ft5 smushy31kJ22°C
Wed 28Oct232 ft5 smushy14kJ20°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 MDW to AKL, changing at DFW, then 2h by road. About 26h 45 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 1 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 1 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 1 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 1 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: under 1 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to AKL, changing at DFW, then 2h by road. About 26h 45 door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Tairua each day: pauanui, Sailors Grave.

The trip from Tairua, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,430–£2,735 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
Hire car6 days, shared£100–£170
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£1,430–£2,735

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

Places to eat near Tairua

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.