Wairaiki, New Zealand

No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Māpua, is 89 km away. Nearest airport: NSN (NSN), 100 km.

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About Wairaiki

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

The spot faces NW (329°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (149°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 650 m out (1 in 63). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February, April, May and June, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Māpua, is 89 km away. Nearest airport: NSN (NSN), 100 km. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 30 h 45 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to NSN, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL).
See flights MDW → NSN · Skyscanner from about £755 returnAd
Getting there. 2 h 05 from the airport to Wairaiki.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Māpua, is 89 km away. Nearest airport: NSN (NSN), 100 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Wairaiki · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Wairaiki · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Wairaiki on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

Wairaiki 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 Wairaiki, each day
Day	Scorefor Intermediate	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Mon 19Oct	33, poor	4 ft8 ssoft	238kJ	wind from the south-west, 10 knots	17°C
Tue 20Oct	34, poor	4 ft7 smushy	133kJ	wind from the east, 4 knots	16°C
Wed 21Oct	43, fair	5 ft5 smushy	96kJ	wind from the south, 3 knots, offshore	19°C
Thu 22Oct	3, too small	2 ft12 smushy	61kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 15 knots	18°C
Fri 23Oct	25, poor	3 ft8 smushy	127kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 10 knots	19°C
Sat 24Oct	12, poor	3 ft13 smushy	319kJ	wind from the west, 20 knots	16°C
Sun 25Oct	17, poor	4 ft12 smushy	373kJ	wind from the west, 13 knots	15°C
Mon 26Oct	17, too small	3 ft12 smushy	208kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 11 knots	16°C
Tue 27Oct	0, too big	6 ft9 smushy	439kJ	wind from the north-west, 19 knots	16°C
Wed 28Oct	15, poor	4 ft8 smushy	175kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 22 knots	14°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 Tue 20 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

Tue 20 Oct
Travel out
Fly MDW to NSN, changing at DFW and AKL, then 2h 05 by road. About 30h 45 door to door
Wed 21 Oct
Surf Wairaiki
Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 5 ft at 5 s, offshore wind.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Fri 23 Oct
Surf Wairaiki
Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 3 ft at 8 s, wind 10 kn (18 km/h).
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 13 of 80.
Sun 25 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 24 of 80.
Mon 26 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to NSN, changing at DFW and AKL, then 2h 05 by road. About 30h 45 door to door

Rough cost

About £1,220–£2,400 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 NSN, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£755–£1,570
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		£1,220–£2,400

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

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Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

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Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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