Sailors Grave
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
51Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 6 s
Tue 3 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- NNE 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 59kJ
- Wind
- NE 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 95kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- N 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 72kJ
- Wind
- W 8 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 59kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Mon 9 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 218, too small
- Tue 340, poor
- Wed 449, fair
- Thu 563, good
- Fri 633, poor
- Sat 755, fair
- Sun 856, fair
- Mon 932, too small
- Tue 1040, poor
- Wed 1142, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the north, 9 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 40, poor | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 49, fair | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | wind from the north-east, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 63, good | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 33, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | wind from the north, 6 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 55, fair | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 72kJ | offshorewind from the west, 8 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 56, fair | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 59kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 40, poor | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 10 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 42, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | wind from the north-west, 10 knots | 21°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
- 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
- Wed 4 NovHigh 02:46 +0.7 mLow 08:57 −0.8 mHigh 15:19 +0.8 mLow 21:39 −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.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Sailors Grave on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- pauanui 2.1 km away
- Mania reef 10.6 km away
- Hot water Beach 13.1 km away
- Opotere 13.1 km away
- Onemana 18.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sailors Grave
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (58°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (238°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 56). 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, 2.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 17°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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
about 5 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
about 15 min by car · 3 places to stay
- Beds in Hahei on Booking.com
about 30 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.