Raglan

April 11th, 2010
After leaving the Roadhouse, we came back to Raglan. Raglan is a New Zealand surf town with multiple world-class, and world-famous, left handed point breaks. These waves are perfect for goofy-footers like me and Kris because when you surf the wave, you are facing the face and supposedly, this is an easier way to navigate the ride. I can’t really tell the difference right now. There is also a beach break in Raglan that we surfed when we first arrived here more than a week ago. Raglan is by no means a secret and is generally crowded. The beach break is nice because surfers and swimmers are spread out, but if the surf is working it gets crowded with surf lessons and beach-goers. The point breaks however, are a different story. The past few mornings we have been at Manu Bay and by 6:45am there are no less than 15 people in the water. That population doubles in less than an hour. I am usually in the water briefly to catch some of the inside sets, and then hang on shore and watch the spectacle of 30 people in the water paddling for one wave. Sometimes, it’s all love out there and at others it’s a snake-fest. Kris holds his own pretty well in these conditions, even winning the hearts of a few grommets who recognize him in town. School aged kids are on the last days of a full two week vacation from school and around here, most of them surf. They are awesome to watch (most have been surfing since they were very small, and their experience shows) and by and large have a great attitude in the water, taking time to chat to just about everyone and just having fun. There is also a surf beach south of Raglan that works when Raglan is flat. This spot is pretty far out along rough and winding gravel roads, but the beach is beautiful and there are a few different breaks so surfers can spread out a little more. We have had some great surf there too. We went out there yesterday and were surprised to find a Volcom sponsored, teen surf competition crammed in to the little dirt parking lot. What a change of pace! The conditions looked not-so-good for surf and it was almost low tide so we took a long beach walk and gathered mussels for dinner along some rocks. By the time we came back, the DJ was awarding the lucky winners of the surf competition each a round trip ticket to Australia and a check. We went in for a quick surf, then headed back ‘home’ to shower and cook the mussels.
Incidentally, we are house-sitting in Te Mata, a small town 15km outside of Raglan, for a few days. I met Neil in the parking lot at Manu Bay one morning and he offered his place while he is away in Auckland. We are here through the weekend until he comes back; his son is having surgery and the recovery time is unknown. Neil’s house is a DIY project made of two shipping containers and is completely off the grid. Solar panels on the roof charge a central battery during the day for electricity when the sun goes down. There is a composting toilet which uses worms and therefore conserves overall water use considerably. A diesel stove is used for heating, which Neil plans to convert to bio-diesel and the cooking range and hot water are fueled by refillable gas tanks. Rain water is harvested from the corrugated roof and held in two tanks on this property. Just being here has been a great learning experience because the place is still a work in progress, but completely livable. We don’t know how long we can stay here as time is ticking and there are still a few places we’d like to visit. And we have to sell our van…
Hope everyone is well and enjoying these last few weeks of winter!