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The Rec Eastbourne, New Zealand

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

Also within 20 km of Lower Hutt

All 10 on Lower Hutt's map

Watch this spot We email you when The Rec Eastbourne is worth the trip.

Eastborne and Petone, Lower Hutt, New Zealand, 3rd. Dec. 2010 - Flickr - PhillipC
Lower Hutt, the nearest town, 7 km away. Photo: Phillip Capper from Wellington, New Zealand, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About The Rec Eastbourne

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

The spot faces W (263°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (83°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.0 km out (1 in 200). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in June, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 17°C in February, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Lower Hutt, 7.2 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 13°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 29 h 10 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to WLG, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL).

    See flights MDW → WLG · Skyscanner from about £750 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 30 min from the airport to The Rec Eastbourne.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Lower HuttAd

    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 Lower Hutt · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Lower Hutt · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

The Rec Eastbourne 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

The Rec Eastbourne 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

DayScoreExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct517 ft10 ssoft708kJ14°C
Mon 19Oct345 ft10 ssoft432kJ17°C
Tue 20Oct385 ft10 ssoft485kJ18°C
Wed 21Oct234 ft9 ssoft299kJ18°C
Thu 22Oct153 ft9 ssoft119kJ19°C
Fri 23Oct123 ft8 ssoft91kJ20°C
Sat 24Oct164 ft11 ssoft350kJ16°C
Sun 25Oct32 ft11 smushy143kJ15°C
Mon 26Oct12 ft10 smushy49kJ14°C
Tue 27Oct64 ft5 smushy85kJ16°C
Wed 28Oct53 ft8 smushy146kJ12°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

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to WLG, changing at DFW and AKL, then 30 min by road. About 29h 10 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Eastbourne

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 5 ft at 10 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to WLG, changing at DFW and AKL, then 30 min by road. About 29h 10 door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Lower Hutt each day: Eastbourne, The Rec Eastbourne.

The trip from Lower Hutt, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,355–£2,625 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 WLG, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£750–£1,560
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£15–£30
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£1,355–£2,625

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

Places to eat near Lower Hutt

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.