Anyone who has been following my blog knows there is very little I need to make a good travelling destination – sun, sea, surf and a good amount of partying.
You’ll also be aware of how much I loved Byron Bay in Australia – and the fact my 6months there during my first gap year are still some of my favourite travel memories
There’s been one place that in my imagination which would be able to compare to the epic times I had in Byron and it’s a place I finally got round to visiting this year..
Raglan in New Zealand
The Perfect Combo
From everyone I’ve chatted to about my love for Byron and my travel plans for New Zealand I heard the same response – you HAVE to go to Raglan.
Indeed Bev from Pack Your Passport and Lauren from Never Ending Footsteps both emailed me after their visits saying it was somewhere I’d end up spending alot of time!
Situated on the North West coast of NZ my dreams of Raglan spawned from the surf movie The Endless Summer – where the long reeling left hand point breaks featured heavily as one of the longest waves of their trip. If you haven’t seen the movie before check it out – it’s a surfing cult classic!
Couple that with epic open ocean swell wrapping around from all angles, a variety of surf spots, a laid back hippy atmosphere and the New Zealand climate and you have a receipe for what could be potentially one of my favourite places on the planet!
From The Word Go
The first time I set sight on Raglan I was bouncing around little a kid at xmas! I was frothing about a surf session with a buddy from Indo but after the long, winding drive across the gorgeous New Zealand landscape the descent into Raglan village was everything a surfer dreams of.
Locals clothed in flannel shirts, barefoot and cruising around on longboards, quaint coffee shops on every corner where sun bleached blonde hair is the norm and where dreadlocks, boardies and flip flops make you part of the crowd, not an outsider.
And the vibe was everything I has hoped for too. A small village where everyone is welcomed in, where its easy to get to know everyone – even in a short stay – and where an appreciation of the outdoors and nature s universal.
But most importantly a place where day to day life is completely dictated by the ocean…
Waves Galore
The surf in Raglan has all options covered!
The rugged coastline has many black sand strewn coves and it’s a magnet for NZ swell. If you haven’t surfed before the beach break offers a great place to learn (with a couple of great surf schools in the town), and the huge bay means crowds are thin and there’s plenty of waves to go around.
For the more advanced the points are the main attraction – with Manu Bay, Indicators and Whale Bay being home to the epic surf Raglan is famed for.
On a perfect swell (which unfortunately didn’t hit whilst I was there!) all the points can link up and it’s possible to ride the 4km right into the beach. Now that’s something I’d love to attempt!
Even on a moderate swell the points (which are rock/reef bottomed) serve up some incredible rides. The inside section hollow enough for shortboards to tuck in, but the faces are the home of the longboarder – with nose rides and big sweeping curves the perfect place for a goofy footed longboarder like myself!
Sat in the water, looking back on the rolling mountains of NZ, the clouds hovering on their peaks, the black sand framing the green coastline and the swell rolling in around me I suddenly felt content. It was the most at home I’ve felt on the road for a long time.
I fell totally in love with Raglan – I can’t wait to get back there.
Yaaaaay! I’m so happy that you loved Raglan! It was totally my favourite place in NZ!
Also, I don’t understand your surfer dude terminology ;-)
mine too…well I loved Queenstown but surf always sways my opinion!
…you need to get down with the surf lingo Lauren – else we can no longer be friends!
This place has just been added to my itinerary, as I’m heading to NZ in just over a month. I’m also planning on taking some surfing lessons after that when I move to Oz, so perhaps I’ll have to return to Raglan when I’ve got the skills!
glad you’ve added it to your list! You should start some surf lessons there though and then use your skills in Byron in Oz too! :)
Wow Raglan sounds like a paradise, especially for an adrenaline junkie like myself. Sign me up! NZ is on my bucket list for sure
I just returned from a few days in Raglan and even though I have never surfed and the weather wasn’t great, I didn’t want to leave! Raglan is the perfect town.
Stoked to hear you enjoyed it Helen, beautiful town hey?
Cant wait to visit this place! Moving to NZ in August to surf and travel for a year so thanks for the tip!
No worries Kim – I’m heading there next week for another stint :)
Hey chris, I just lived in Byron bay for a year and I also heard that raglan is the byron of new zealand and im a goofy footer so no need to convince me more that Raglan is for me haha, I was just wondering how is it about finding paid work in town? Im heading there in 2 weeks.
Cheers, Francis.
Hey Francis, I’ve also lived in Byron for a heap of time and I can certainly say the two are very similar. That being said though Raglan is certainly smaller and quieter – much more on par with Yamba actually.
Work wise it can be a bit tough, but stick around and network and you should be fine – your best bet to get started is to get work for accommodation, that will open up heaps of doors for you and it’s what I did. Raglan Backpackers, Solscape and Karori Lodge all offer this