Raglan Area Guide
The bohemian town of Raglan on the Waikato's rugged west coast, 48 kilometres from Hamilton, draws thousands of holiday makers each summer to its beautiful black sand beaches.
The town is set on the south side of the Raglan Harbour, with most of the cafes and art and craft shops along the main Bow Street, with its central row of Phoenix palm trees. At its western end the street leads down to the harbour, where a footbridge provides access to the swimming beach of Te Kopua.
The Information Centre on Wallis Street can advise on harbour cruises, which leave from the jetty at the bottom of Bow Street in summer, or you can do a guided kayak trip to the limestone pinnacles across the harbour. Just outside of town, Ocean Beach is a good place to go for a picnic and has great views of the Raglan Bar, although it is not safe to swim here unless lifeguards are on patrol.
Raglan has an international reputation among surfers for its surfing beaches at Whale Bay and Manu Bay, eight kilometres south west of town. Manu Bay, said to have the longest left-hand break in the world, featured in the classic 1964 movie, The Endless Summer, about surfies searching for the perfect wave. There is a surfing school based at Whale Bay, which offers beginners' lessons at beautiful Ngarunui Beach. The tutors pride themselves on getting most of their students up on boards by the end of their first lesson.
South of Raglan, the horizon is dominated by the 755-metre summit of the ancient volcano, Mount Karioi. A steep walking track leads to the top for views of the Raglan Harbour mouth and coastline. The track starts 12 kilometres south of Raglan along Whaanga Road and takes about six hours to complete.
Twenty-three kilometres south east of Raglan there is an easy walking track to the beautiful Bridal Veil Falls. The 10-minute walk leads through native bush to the waterfall, where the water plummets 55 metres down a sheer rock face into a green pool. If you walk for a further 10 minutes you can swim in the pool at the bottom.