Are you wondering to yourself ‘Is Raglan worth visiting?’

As a non-surfer, I was wondering this myself as we made our way towards one of, if not, the #1 surf destination in NZ.

I was only in Raglan for about 24 hours (not ideal) but the following are some thoughts about my experience in Raglan which will hopefully help you plan your visit.

FOR SURFERS: If you’re a surfer it’s a no brainer. Surf your heart out. I was stunned by how many people were out surfing (granted it was a nice summer day) and the number of different surf spots.

FOR NON-SURFERS: Part of Chur New Zealand’s mission is to get people to stay longer in each destination as they travel New Zealand (the average in Raglan is 2.3 days). So while I stayed in Raglan just the one night (pesky commitments) I think Raglan IS worth visiting for all.

Here’s why.

1. MANY SMALL BUSINESSES

Breakfast is served at The Shack in Raglan…it looks better in real life!

“We won’t be having a McDonalds or anything like that,” (Source), this sums up Raglan. There’s no Subway or Dominos or any of other fast-food giants encroaching on small towns.

There’s no doubt that Raglan has changed over the years (what hasn’t), but there are still lots of independent businesses not only serving Raglan but spreading their wings further. Here are a few I love:

• The Shack is a local cafe that sources many of there supplies locally, and the service was great despite being busy which was cool.
• The campground we stayed at was super chill, I’ll mention that later.
• I didn’t realise until we were leaving but there’s a new vegan spot that’s opened too, Clover. We tried to go to SolScape for breakfast, but they were closed for an event, the views looked amazing from there though.
• My friend was determined to try some Raglan Roast (I don’t drink coffee) which is served in various places around town. She loved it, and her family was stoked when she bought some beans over to Kawau Island for them to enjoy as well.

I’m a massive fan of Raglan Coconut Yoghurt. Their slogan ‘Joy in a jar’ is accurate as, and as Marie Kondo would say, it’s sparks joy for me. I’ll put it on everything….within reason.

In short, lots of people are doing cool things based out of Raglan!

2. SURF OF ALL SIZES

Surfers at Whale Bay in Raglan.

As a non-surfer I’ve only attempted surfing a couple of times in Panama and the Philippines. I’ve turned down the opportunity a bunch as it makes me nervous if I’m honest, and the idea of lessons doesn’t excite me.

But Ngarunui Beach is massive and is well set up for beginners who want to take lessons and surf where it’s not so sketchy. There seems to be schools galore, and the tutors make sure they’re well out of the way of people just swimming.

There were some good surfers at Ngarunui, but it was at Whale Bay where those who knew how to surf proper were hanging out (it’s close to the surf spot called Indicators). So basically, you’ll find whatever you need to satisfy your surfing desires in Raglan.

3. IT’S SO RELAXED

A Raglan sunset walk = winning.

I mentioned the campground above already but a couple of other examples of the relaxed feeling around Raglan I experienced were:

• Walking across the Raglan Airport. There’s no tarmac on this airfield and there were only a few gliders taking off when I was there, but it was so chill how planes were landing and people were walking on the grassy runway, making sure they kept well out of the way of the planes coming in of course.
• Boogie board rental. My buddy wanted to rent a boogie board for Ngarunui Beach. There was only a shitty condition with no leg rope on it left, and as she wanted to hire a wetsuit to the man at the shop said, just pay $10 for the wetsuit and I’ll give you the boogie board for as long as you need it. No-fuss!

4. THE CHOICE CAMPGROUND

I didn’t take a photo of the campground, so here’s another beach photo.

I keep harping on about this campground, right? But there were two options we were considering. Te Kopua Whanau Camp and Raglan Holiday Park.

We went with Te Kopua Whanau Camp as it seemed like it was going to be the one with fewer kids/less of a family feel and we got that right. Te Kopua Whanau Camp is on a large plot of land, and even though it was in the middle of the summer there was lots of space. The people running the spot are super relaxed, you just send them a text when you arrive to let them know you’re there and they’ll let you know to put your money in the drop off box which they’ll collect later. At $10 per person you can’t expect much in terms of facilities (no powered sites) but this was perfect and all the others were well behaved while we were there.

5. THE MAIN BEACH IS HUGE

This gives you an idea of how big the main beach is.

If you’re in a holiday destination in Europe during the summer good luck trying to find a spot that’s not within 5 metres of someone. There’s are a bunch of beaches around Raglan, but Ngarunui is the main one and it’s massive. I went for a run along the length of it and it’s at least 2km long, and at least 1.5km of that was empty with the odd person walking. This was shortly after New Year, in the heat of the summer, on a reasonably nice day. You’ve got ample space to do your thing!

6. THERE ARE NON-SURFING ACTIVITIES

Bridal Veil Falls is a short drive from Raglan. It’s regularly voted as one of the best waterfalls in NZ!

This was what I was afraid of about Raglan. And while many people are there for the surf, if you’re a non-surfer like me you’ll not get bored here that easily.

I enjoyed the Ngarunui Tracks above the southern end of the beach and walking along the waterfront by the airfield during sunset. In addition to watching the surfers at Whale Bay (the break is close to the shore), exploring Bridal Veil Falls and wandering about the town, I felt like my time was filled in perfectly (I wanted to get some reading done too).

On my next visit to Raglan my bucket list item is definitely to hike up Mount Karioi! I’ll make sure to pop into the Raglan & District Museum and check out the Te Ara Kakariki Ocean Trails. And maybe take a swim between the flags if I’m still not keen on surfing. In short, there’s plenty to do to entertain you for a few relaxing days between hanging out on the beach.

The final Raglan photo for you.

Having heard so much about Raglan over the years I was pretty excited to finally visit to see what I thought of the place. While I was there I wasn’t 100% stoked on the place, but I definitely liked Raglan and said to my friend I’d visit again if the opportunity arises.

Now having written this, I can say I’m genuinely loving everything about Raglan now that the experience has soaked in a bit.

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Jub

Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.