Raglan is a gorgeous surf town just a couple of hours from New Zealand’s biggest city – but the pace of life could not be more different. When you visit you’ll feel that surfy, relaxed vibe straight away, whether you’re here to cruise the waves, check out tasty food, or just breathe in some of that salty fresh air. Check out my favourite spots here!
Beach time in Raglan
Raglan is located on the west coast of the North Island, and features the stunning black sand beaches that skirt that side of the country. It’s a great place to visit or stay if you’re looking for an escape from Auckland, or a stop on your North Island road-trip. All you’ve got to watch out for is how hot the sand gets in the height of summer! The main beach, where you’re most likely to stop as a visitor, is Ngarunui Beach, which is the best spot if you’re a beginner surfer or just looking to body-surf some waves.
Of course, being a surf beach, you’ll want to be a good swimmer if you’re taking a dip. At many of New Zealand’s more popular beaches there are surf lifesavers on hand to direct you to the safer swimming spots – don’t forget to swim between the distinctive yellow and red flags!
I love visiting Raglan as you can hire surf boards and wetsuits right on the beach – and it’s one of the cheapest spots we’ve seen! Last time we visited, a board and wetsuit cost us just $25 each for two hours, which I found plenty of time given how much of a workout surfing is. If you’re brand new or would like a refresher, you can also get lessons. Even though it’s tough work, there’s nothing like the feeling of lift when you catch that wave… or even just sitting out beyond the breakers, watching the sunshine sparkle off the aquamarine around you.
Or the feeling of the ocean even on a grey day! We love Raglan so much that we visited twice in two months, with varying degrees of sunshine…
This is Manu Bay, where you’re more likely to encounter local surfers, as well as the rocks that the surf breaks on. For both of those reasons, you’d want to be a good surfer before diving in here!
And then further along the coast is gorgeous Whale Bay, again a tougher proposition for surfers, but beautiful to admire.
Eating and Drinking in Raglan
Delicious burgers at Orca Restaurant
For a small surf-town, Raglan definitely punches above its weight food and drink wise. In the main town, we had delicious burgers while looking out on the water at Orca Restaurant, wraps made fresh at Roll Up, and chilled out with beer flights at George’s Beach Club. The last is the chilled out Raglan home of Good George, a local craft brewer, and I highly recommend their plum cider and IPA!
If you’re looking to self-cater, there’s a decent supermarket on the main street that had everything we were after, although if you’re wanting speciality items you might want to bring them from Auckland or Hamilton. For example, they had dairy-free ice-cream (very happy!), but no dairy-free cheese.
There’s not many options once you head out of town, but there was our favourite food place of all, Rock It Kitchen. This epic mushroom brunch was just the start – they also have great coffee and so many other delicious-looking meals, I had major food FOMO. We’ll definitely be back!
Where to Stay in Raglan
Another gorgeous view of Ngarunui beach
There are a few motel and B&B options in Raglan, as well as a backpackers right in town, and the very popular holiday park. Like us, lots of visitors choose to stay in holiday homes, particularly if you have a car, as just out of town you can stay in some great places with incredible views. Our first visit we stayed at DreamViews Farmstay, which was a little bach (Kiwi-speak for holiday home) on a working dairy farm with a spa and, as advertised, brilliant views!
For our second visit, we shelled out and scored this amazing house with sweeping views of the coastline. I can’t imagine waking up to these every day – for just a weekend it was an absolute dream.
That Sunset Though…
Being on the west coast, Raglan has some epic sunsets. Is there anything better than watching the golden light slowly fade over crashing waves?
The gang watching the sunset
What to do near Raglan
If you’ve had your fill of beautiful surf beaches (or at least managed to tear yourself away), there are heaps of cool bush walks near Raglan, including climbing Mount Karioi for stunning views. We chose the more relaxed option, winding through the back-blocks to Wairēinga, also known as Bridal Veil Falls.
You reach these incredible 55m falls by a short bush-walk on a gently sloping path, and there’s then various viewing platforms to admire the power of the water. How close you get to the bottom depends on how many stairs you want to walk back up!
You can’t swim at the falls as they are tapu, or sacred, but the falls are still well worth a visit just to gaze on before you return to the real world.
I love the chilled out vibe of Raglan and its beautiful beaches – it’s definitely a special place! Have you visited?
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