Raglan - Surfer City

The first thing we noticed when we got to Raglan was the real nuts and berries vibe. Stopped at both grocery stores on our way to the AirBnB and it hit us immediately. Very laid back, barefoot kiwi kids and adults roaming around, and generally easygoing. The place we’re staying is a pretty simple bach (cottage, or camp, pick your description) perched up on the hill. Fantastic views across the inlet and out to the Raglan Bar. It’s quiet here, and you hear the surf crashing in all night with the window open, very soothing! The weather has been fantastic, cool night (great for sleeping) and days in the low 20’s, warm enough but not heat stroke hot.

Our first full day we started with a hike at Bridal Veil Falls, about a 20 minute drive back inland. Really picturesque place. You can take a short stroll to see the top of the falls as they drop into large basin, hike a bit further down for a view at the midpoint of the falls, or go to the bottom and sit and take it all in. Of course we did all three.

The rest of the morning we wandered around Raglan, poking into the shops, watching people, and having a Raglan Roast coffee (a must find if you’re here). Found a butcher so picked up a few things, walked around the inlet and watched some kids jumping off one of the foot bridges. They were having an absolute blast. They’d jump mid span then swim to shore. The tide was going out but it’s not huge here so they’d end up a bit along the beach, then back to the bridge for another go. The rest of the afternoon was spent taking in the views and generally chilling at the bach.

Day 2 here started with a beach walk. The tide was coming in so the walk was not as long as it might have been, but a beautiful beach. The sand here is black, but still, it’s sand! Saw a few people on the beach but only one person fishing. The weather was pretty calm and a few boats were going over the bar, about an hour before high tide. There was a nice southerly swell rolling onto the beach so just walking and listening to the waves was good for the soul!

It was a beach kind of day, so we headed a bit south to the next beach access and found the surfers! Ngarunui Beach in the Wanui Reserve is the place to surf here. When we drove in, the parking lot was full (mid morning), and there was a couple of surf rental/learn-to-surf operators. People in wetsuits heading up and down the paved path to the beach and likely close to 100 people in the water on boards up and down the beach. It looked crazy! There is a surfer code posted, and essentially it boils down to 1) Don’t be an asshole, and 2) Don’t hit anyone while you’re surfing. We only took one picture of the surfers, and that just shows a few. It was strangely overwhelming for us for some reason.

There are four Maori carvings at the entrance to the reserve that mark the cardinal points of the compass, so of course we had to stop and take a look. I’m a bit weird about compass directions so the pictures below are in order of North, South, East, West.

The last beach of the day was at Manu Bay, by this time the tide was nearly full, so no real beach. Good boat launch and saw a couple of boats, one coming in and one going out. Fishing with current fuel prices must be expensive!

Like everyone else around the world, we’re feeling the impact of rising fuel prices. We need to run mid-grade gas in our little VW here, and cheapest we can find is in Hamilton (about an hour away) @ 321.9 (that‘s todays price, no idea what it will be tomorrow!). We’re not driving around touring so much now and a fill from empty is getting close to $150.00. Still, we’re not scrimping on what we want to see, and luckily Raglan is kind of at the end of the highway, so we’re spending our time close to home.

Our last day was in Raglan we went for a walk on the Kaitoke Walkway. About 5 km round trip, through the bush along the inlet. There’s been a big effort to restore native bush in NZ, and here is no exception. Lots of flax and manuka. At the end of the trail, you get a great view of the Sleeping Lady (Wahine Moe), the local name for the extinct volcano, Mt. Karioi. There was a flax mill here that operated from 1868 to 1925 and was a significant part of the industrial development of the area. Some of the rusted machinery is still around, and left where it was.

One last coffee in town finished off the day before heading back to our home away from home. We’ve enjoyed it here. We’ve taken a moment to relax and soak up the views without planning every minute. Nice place to come and decompress for a few days.

Next stop, the Coromandel Peninsula and 4 nights in Whitianga.