Pataua
Surf spot · New Zealand
Is it worth the trip?
13Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 6 s, onshore wind, 11 kn (20 km/h)
Mon 2 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 47kJ
- Wind
- NNE 10 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 92kJ
- Wind
- NNE 13 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 103kJ
- Wind
- NE 12 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 133kJ
- Wind
- N 8 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 74kJ
- Wind
- N 14 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 61kJ
- Wind
- WSW 11 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 54kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 26, too small
- Tue 310, too small
- Wed 414, too small
- Thu 517, too small
- Fri 64, too small
- Sat 718, too small
- Sun 811, too small
- Mon 98, too small
- Tue 1013, too small
- Wed 1118, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Jan–Feb, Apr2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 6, too small | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 10 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 10, too small | 4 ft5 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 92kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 13 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 14, too small | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 103kJ | wind from the north-east, 12 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 17, too small | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 133kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 4, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 74kJ | wind from the north, 14 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 18, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 61kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 11 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 11, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 54kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 8, too small | 5 ft6 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 169kJ | wind from the north, 12 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 13, too small | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 11 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 18, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | wind from the north-west, 6 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 23, too small | 3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 64kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 9 knots, offshore | 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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:08 +0.8 mLow 07:24 −1.0 mHigh 13:48 +0.9 mLow 20:06 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:12 +0.8 mLow 08:27 −0.9 mHigh 14:51 +0.9 mLow 21:11 −0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:19 +0.7 mLow 09:33 −0.9 mHigh 15:54 +0.9 mLow 22:16 −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
best Jan–Feb, Apr
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
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 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, its town, photos
Pataua 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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Photos of Pataua
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Pataua
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (48°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (228°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 650 m out (1 in 66). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in July, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February and April, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Parua Bay, 5.2 km away (about 10 min by car).
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 2 November 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$832–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$564 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$302–US$564 |
| 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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 10 min by car
about US$127/nightcountry average
About Parua Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Tutukaka on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 7 places to stay
- Beds in Matapouri on Booking.com
about 30 min by car · 1 place 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 27h 40m
About 27h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → AKL, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), then 2h 50m by road
Flights MDW → AKL on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.