Raglan

So as I mentioned at the end of my last post, I headed to Raglan for Christmas with the intention of then heading to Gisborne for New Years, but such was the greatness of Raglan, I cancelled my Gisborne reservations.

Raglan is only a very small town with a population of approximately 2700 people. Situated on the west coast of NZ it is famous for its numerous surf beaches, its great waves and for the orcas it has attracted over the last few years. Sadly during my stay there I didn't get to see any orcas but I guess I'm lucky I didn't have to surf amongst them.

Surfer gets a surprise at Manu Bay, Raglan

It's a lovely little town with only one main street which has a few shops and bars. The two hostels in Raglan could not be more different but they were both amazing. The first I stayed in had a spa and jacuzzi, free kayak rentals and provided surf lessons, and hosted maybe 50-70 guests. The second offered none of the above, hosted only 14 people, but with its small size came a real homely atmosphere. It was in this hostel that I spent Christmas, and what a Christmas it was. Since there were French, Germans and English people staying there at the time, we celebrated two Christmases, the 24th December for the Europeans and the 25th for the English. I don't think I've ever drunk so much alcohol in 48 hours. Nor have I ever had such a feast for Christmas lunch. The hosts provided pork, chicken, lamb, beef, turkey and lobster. Everyone who was staying there provided all the salads and side dishes as well as dessert. It was my first Christmas away from family and as much as they might hate to hear this, it was the most fun. For that I have to thank the amazing hosts and the awesome people who were staying there. 

To get to the beach you really need a car, which I don't have, and nor did most people I met there. So hitchhiking was the solution. Everytime time I went surfing I managed a lift which was sweet.  The most memorable hitchhike I had was, picture this: 9 people and 7 surboards in one car. Quite a hilarious ride, especially when we crossed a police car on the other side of the road.

Most of my time spent there was at the beach, often staying till sunset as you could witness some incredible ones from the main beach. Other than the surfing a tradition was to jump from a foot bridge into the river at high tide and go swimming. I also managed a little kayaking during the stay and I certainly tried to make the most of the sauna and jacuzzi.

All this is fine and dandy but I ended up spending pretty much my every last penny over there and thus had to return to Hastings to find some work...