Hometown to my favourite coffee shop (Raglan Roast in Tahunanui), Raglan had been on my list for a while. Known as the Surf capital of NZ, it’s obviously well known for its epic surf & long open beaches. We only had two days here so we tried to squeeze in as much as possible.

Raglan is a little bit off the beaten track, it’s not on a direct highway so therefore isn’t as much of a tourist hotspot compared to Rotorua, but is only around 30 minutes from Hamilton. We drove over from Mount Maunganui which was only 2 hours, making it a perfect weekend getaway for north islanders.

The scenery is a lot more rugged compared to the east coast, with its black sand and open coastline. The little town is set back from the main beaches and looks onto a calm inlet, which actually makes for a great paddle boarding area if you’re not keen to give surfing a go! The surf spots are only a short 5 – 10 minute drive away but unfortunately too far to walk.

As we were in the campervan we stayed at Raglan Holiday Park, which only cost $44 for both of us for a night & had all the facilities you would need. The park was also in a great location being only a short walk across the bridge into the main high street, so i’d really recommend staying here if you’re happy with camp life.

What surprised us the most was the choice of restaurants & eateries. I had a vision of a very small one-cafe quiet town, but despite arriving on a Wednesday night, the evening was bustling with people out and about. We got the best pizza’s from George’s Beach Club, which also had cool swings everywhere that you could use instead of chairs at the tables.

There were some awesome choices for brunch, The Shack had the oddest breakfast items (crispy poached eggs!) but was insanely tasty and a great spot to take your laptop for some remote working. We also went to Wyld which had the coolest interior with a cosy feel to it.

The surfing was awesome – we were total beginners but the beaches were so big and open you would never struggle to find a spot. Ngarunui Beach is recommended for beginners to intermediate, and Raglan Surf School are based here with their trailer of surfboard rentals so you can jump onto a lesson if you wanted to. We also noticed there were a number of places to rent boards in town, such as Raglan Surf Emporium or Raglan Backpackers so you’re definitely spoilt for choice.

We also went and had a look at Manu bay which is for more intermediate/advanced surfers, we didn’t intend to give it a go, but it was so cool to watch people catching the waves as the sun went down.

Raglan far exceeded my expectations, I’d go back there in a heartbeat & intend to visit again next summer. If you’re considering a visit, definitely lock it in, you will not regret it!
Harriet 📸