Welcome to Raglan
Raglan is a small, somewhat Bohemian coastal town west of Hamilton on the North Island of New Zealand. Dianne last visited here over 35 years ago! It has both retained much of its laid back history, and also moved on to become a bustling, arty hive of activity. Lovely cafes are plentiful and walkways can either take you to the river mouth, or down to the harbor.
We decided to get to Raglan by bus with BusIt as it was a way to relax and take in the scenery of the journey. The time table also gave us plenty of time to wander about, do some bird watching, and even enjoy a relaxing lunch in a local eatery.
There are some interesting arts and crafts shops in Raglan. They stock quality wares with everything from clothing to locally produced honey products. We enjoyed a slow saunter up and down the main street and found the locals very friendly.
Where Exactly Is Raglan
Raglan is only 41kms west of the city of Hamilton. It is an easy trip on Bus 23, which does a return trip from the Hamilton Transport Center three times a day. At only NZ$7 return/person (Dec ’22), it’s well worth the trip.
On the bus the front left seat opposite the friendly driver was definitely a plus. It had great views of the passing green agricultural and forest lands, the road ahead and then, of course the first views of Raglan itself, which then opens up to the Tasman Sea.
The mighty Te Araroa trail comes through Hamilton. We met a lovely young French couple on the bus who were doing the trail. We chatted with them about their travels and our recent stay in the Corrèze region of France. During the course of our conversation we had to explain the freedom of travel now vs the ‘80s. When we last back-packed together around Europe, the Cold War was still on the go and the green mamba (colloquial name for the South African passport) didn’t get one into Eastern Europe.
They politely informed us that those days were before they were born!!
Birds Rule
When we arrived in Raglan we walked around and found a fabulous little coffee shop called Wyld Eatery and Bar. The staff were über friendly and were only too happy for us to camp for a bit to ‘free-load’ (NZ term for using someone else’s goods and chattels for free) off their WiFi.
We ordered a (great tasting) cup of coffee each and picked up an NZ Geographic mag that was lying around. It had some great local walks/birding sites highlighted so once we’d read that we set off to walk along the estuary walkway down to the wharf. A short walk but we were rewarded with a few new ‘lifers’ (new birds).
Dianne’s highlight was the Antarctic Tern, which she had always wanted to see. To her it’s always looked like a streamlined sports car, but that’s just the way she’s always thought of it. To see it sitting on the mudflats at low tide was one of the highlights of the day .
New Zealand is undoubtedly one of the best shorebird locations globally, so we are really hoping to see a large number of new birds as we trip around.
When in Raglan
We visited Raglan on 1st December 2022 and with New Zealand being a small group of islands in very large seas, the westerly wind was blowing. However, it wasn’t cold and despite some rain on the bus journey in, we had lovely sunshine for most of the day.
The town was starting to gear up for the summer school holiday season and in walking around we saw a large number of baches (the term used for NZ beach houses or second homes). Many were still vacant but, according to the locals, the town really gets moving when the schools close and the holiday makers arrive.
There are lots of activities to do. Surfing on this coast is very popular as are sailing, horse-riding and tramping (hiking to those non-Kiwi’s reading this). In fact, if you are interested in any outdoor activity, you have a good chance of finding it here.
Art, Architecture & History
Raglan really does have a wonderful mix of old and new. The old wooden Harbour View Hotel is still looking like the grand old lady she has always been. An NZ Historic Places building, it has been serving locals and tourists since 1905 in this seaside town, which was founded to accommodate sea and shipping access.
Juxtaposed with this grand madam is the trendy, slightly bohemian arts and crafts stores, which support local artists. It’s lovely to see a community pulling together in a way that draws people and makes them want to linger.
Being keen birders, this would be a great place to settle in for a week or two. However, for us, there were other places calling so we made sure we were on the afternoon bus back to Hamilton to go in search of the next adventure.
You can read about more of our travels on No Ties No Heels
