Sailors Grave
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
48Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 6 s
Mon 2 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 14kJ
- Wind
- N 10 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tue 3 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 53kJ
- Wind
- N 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 60kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 99kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 60kJ
- Wind
- N 8 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 17, too small
- Mon 218, too small
- Tue 342, poor
- Wed 447, fair
- Thu 564, good
- Fri 637, poor
- Sat 759, fair
- Sun 838, too small
- Mon 927, too small
- Tue 1017, 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.
Sailors Grave does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft3 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the north, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | wind from the north, 10 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 42, poor | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | wind from the north, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 64, good | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 99kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 37, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 59, fair | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 38, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | wind from the north, 10 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the north-west, 10 knots | 18°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.
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 Mon 2 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 beginners: 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.
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.
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
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
11 min by car · 3 places to stay
- Beds in Hahei on Booking.com
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.