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Pakiri, New Zealand

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Mangawhai, 22 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: WRE (WRE), 63 km.

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

About Pakiri

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

The spot faces NE (34°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (214°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 32). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. 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 and February, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Mangawhai, 22 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: WRE (WRE), 63 km. 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.

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From Chicago: about 26 h 35 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. 1 h 45 from the airport to Pakiri.

  3. Accommodation.

    No town nearby

    No stay checked for this site yet: Mangawhai, 22 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: WRE (WRE), 63 km.

  4. Hire and lessons.

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Surf spot

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Forecast

Pakiri 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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Pakiri, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct8, too small1 ft4 smushy3kJwind from the south-west, 7 knots, offshore16°C
Mon 19Oct8, too small1 ft7 shollow5kJwind from the south-south-west, 7 knots, offshore18°C
Tue 20Oct9, too small1 ft8 shollow6kJwind from the south-west, 6 knots, offshore17°C
Wed 21Oct8, too small1 ft7 shollow5kJwind from the south-west, 9 knots, offshore17°C
Thu 22Oct10, too small1 ft8 shollow7kJwind from the south-west, 10 knots, offshore17°C
Fri 23Oct6, too small1 ft6 shollow3kJwind from the south-south-west, 8 knots, offshore17°C
Sat 24Oct4, too smallunder 1 ft7 s2kJwind from the south-south-east, 2 knots17°C
Sun 25Oct4, too smallunder 1 ft6 s1kJwind from the east, 2 knots17°C
Mon 26Oct3, too small1 ft4 smushy2kJwind from the north-north-west, 8 knots18°C
Tue 27Oct20, poor3 ft5 smushy38kJwind from the west-north-west, 11 knots20°C
Wed 28Oct32, too small2 ft5 smushy22kJwind from the west-north-west, 6 knots18°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 1h 45 by road. About 26h 35 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 1h 45 by road. About 26h 35 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
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
Food7 days eating out£230–£430
Board and wetsuit5 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.

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