Shipwreck Bay, New Zealand

No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Kerikeri, is 76 km away. Nearest airport: KAT (KAT), 19 km.

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

About Shipwreck Bay

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

The spot faces N (339°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (159°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 950 m out (1 in 97). 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 21°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Kerikeri, is 76 km away. Nearest airport: KAT (KAT), 19 km. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

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

Saved: this link opens the same trip

Email it Remind me to book

The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 29 h 05 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to KAT, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL).
See flights MDW → KAT · Skyscanner from about £735 returnAd
Getting there. 40 min from the airport to Shipwreck Bay.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Kerikeri, is 76 km away. Nearest airport: KAT (KAT), 19 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Shipwreck Bay · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Shipwreck Bay · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Shipwreck Bay 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

Shipwreck Bay does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Shipwreck Bay, each day
Day	Scorefor Expert	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	30, too small	5 ft9 ssoft	342kJ	wind from the south, 12 knots, offshore	18°C
Mon 19Oct	26, too small	4 ft8 ssoft	225kJ	wind from the south, 10 knots, offshore	18°C
Tue 20Oct	31, too small	5 ft9 ssoft	350kJ	wind from the south, 7 knots, offshore	18°C
Wed 21Oct	35, too small	5 ft10 ssoft	385kJ	wind from the south, 11 knots, offshore	17°C
Thu 22Oct	26, too small	4 ft10 ssoft	303kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 9 knots, offshore	16°C
Fri 23Oct	17, too small	3 ft7 smushy	81kJ	wind from the south, 9 knots, offshore	17°C
Sat 24Oct	42, fair	5 ft12 ssoft	778kJ	wind from the south, 5 knots, offshore	18°C
Sun 25Oct	35, too small	5 ft13 ssoft	796kJ	wind from the north-west, 3 knots	17°C
Mon 26Oct	22, too small	5 ft12 ssoft	715kJ	wind from the north, 5 knots	20°C
Tue 27Oct	4, too small	4 ft6 smushy	112kJ	wind from the north-west, 14 knots	18°C
Wed 28Oct	7, too small	5 ft7 smushy	188kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 16 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 KAT, changing at DFW and AKL, then 40 min by road. About 29h 05 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 35 of 80.
Wed 21 Oct
Surf Shipwreck Bay
Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 5 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 4 ft at best.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Sat 24 Oct
Surf Shipwreck Bay
Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 5 ft at 12 s, offshore wind.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to KAT, changing at DFW and AKL, then 40 min by road. About 29h 05 door to door

Rough cost

About £1,135–£2,245 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 KAT, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£735–£1,530
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Taxi	airport and back, shared	£35–£55
Food	7 days eating out	£230–£430
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£100–£165
Total		£1,135–£2,245

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.