LEARNING TO SURF IN RAGLAN, NEW ZEALAND

Our Wild Kiwi adventure has begun! We will be spending the next 21 days exploring as much of New Zealand as we can in a bus with a small group of fellow travel lovers. We are taking on the North Island for the next week, with the first stop being the small surf town of Raglan.

The surf town of Raglan is located on the North Island's West Coast, two hours south of Auckland. It has a population of only around 3000 people and is known for having a relaxed hippy/surfy vibe with organic food and great coffee. We spent our day here learning to surf, soaking in the towns cool vibes and watching an epic sunset as we got to know our amazing Wild Kiwi squad!

Check out our vlog below to see what we got up to during our 24 hours in Raglan (along with some other awesome NZ locations), and keep scrolling if you would like to read more on everything you need to know for a visit here!

Raglan | New Zealand's Best Surf Town

Raglan is a mecca for big consistent waves making it the most renowned surf spot in New Zealand. Once we arrived in Raglan, before we even stepped foot into town we made our way to the beach for a surf lesson. We have had a couple of lessons in different parts of the world, but we must say that surfing is definitely not our forte.

After jumping into our wetsuits we met up with our two surf guides who gave us a quick sand lesson before we hit the waves. Every single person on our group tour stood up, some riding their very first wave! We highly recommend watching our vlog from the day so you can see with your own eyes how horrible we are at surfing, trust us it's a good laugh!

Other Things To Do in Raglan (other than surf)

Coffee

We are both big coffee lovers, but coming to a small seaside town we weren't expecting anything great when it cam to coffee here - but how wrong we were! Raglan has their very own roast, the Raglan Roast, and it really does live up to its reputation. If you want to have a cup head to Volcom Lame, the Food Department and they also serve it as Rock-It Cafe near the beach.

Hike Mount Karioi

This is the most popular hike in the area, the track is a 5 hour return hike through stunning natural scenery. You will be able to spot plenty of native birds and enjoy some epic views along the coastline as you make your way to the Mt Karioi summit.

Yoga

Being a small, beach town means there are some great places to start your morning doing yoga. There are several places throughout town, but the Raglan Backpackers if only $8 a session.

Kayak or Stand Up Paddleboard

Spend an afternoon kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding out to Pancake Rocks. These layers of limestone rocks have been compressed together for millions of years and have created an awesome spot to kayak to. There are plenty of kayak or SUP hire companies in town.

Bridal Veil Falls

Just outside of Raglan is the breathtaking Bridal Veil Falls. Take the short 10 minute stroll through the native bush until you reach a viewing platform right next to a 55m waterfall! Make sure you also take the 261 steps down to other viewing platforms before making your way back up.

Where To Eat

The Shack: If you only have time to eat at once place during your time in Raglan make sure its at The Shack. They serve fresh, healthy food and great coffee.

Rock-it: This spot is located in an old barn and has a huge deck and lawn. This is a great spot if you are travelling with kids and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The Local Eatery: If you are look for healthy and delicious food, like salads, noodle bowls and raw cheesecakes than this spot is the one for you.

Where We Stayed

During our time in Raglan we stayed at a stunning private house called the Lava Lounge. We had a massive deck with ocean views, our very own hot tub, BBQ, massive kitchen, clean bathrooms and more than enough beds for the 9 of us.

As this was our first night together on our Wild Kiwi tour it was the perfect place to hang out and get to know each other as we watched the sun set on an epic first tour day.

A big thank you to Wild Kiwi for supporting Flying the Nest and making this trip possible.

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