pauanui
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
11Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: too small (4 ft swell at 6 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- N 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- NNE 7 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 50kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 80kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- N 8 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 21kJ
- Wind
- N 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- WNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 12, too small
- Mon 23, too small
- Tue 35, too small
- Wed 412, too small
- Thu 519, too small
- Fri 613, too small
- Sat 72, too small
- Sun 88, too small
- Mon 97, too small
- Tue 105, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft9 s1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the north, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 3, too small | 2 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the north, 9 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 5, too small | 3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 7 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 12, too small | 3 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | wind from the north-east, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 19, too small | 4 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 80kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 13, too small | 3 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft13 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | wind from the north, 5 knots | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft6 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | wind from the north, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 7 knots, offshore | 14°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovLow 05:57 −0.9 mHigh 12:18 +0.9 mLow 18:34 −0.8 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:40 +0.8 mLow 06:54 −0.9 mHigh 13:16 +0.9 mLow 19:34 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 01:41 +0.7 mLow 07:54 −0.8 mHigh 14:17 +0.8 mLow 20:36 −0.8 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
pauanui on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of pauanui
More surf near here
5 places
- Sailors Grave 2.1 km away
- Mania reef 8.8 km away
- Opotere 11 km away
- Hot water Beach 15.1 km away
- Onemana 16.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About pauanui
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (118°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (298°). 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 3.1 km out (1 in 313). 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). The town to stay in is Tairua, 2.2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,740–US$3,300 each
about US$1,740–US$3,300 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to AKL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$831–US$1,720 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$134–US$228 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$342–US$563 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$301–US$563 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$221 |
| Total | about US$1,740–US$3,300 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
4 min by car · 16 places to stay
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Tairua its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Pauanui on Booking.com
7 min by car · 3 places to stay
- Beds in Hahei on Booking.com
34 min by car · 9 places to stay
About US$127 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 26h 45m
About 26h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 2h by road
Flights MDW → AKL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.