90 Mile Beach through Auckland to Ragland, and to Waitomo

Day 3 90 Mile Beach through Auckland to Ragland, and to Waitomo

We had wanted to check out Raglan because our friends Sue and Bryce have a home there and we heard it has one of, if not the best surf breaks in New Zealand, and is a town a lot like Del Mar back in California. Raglan did not disappoint.

The drive from the bottom of 90 Mile Beach to Raglan took us about 5 hours or more with our stops. Although we reached Raglan just after Sunset, the almost-full moon favored us and allowed us to see the beautiful, rocky coastline, the black sand beaches, and the quaint town.

We had the best dinner we’ve had all trip in Raglan at the Namaste Kitchen, which is owned by a Nepalese family. They know how to cook delicious curries and Naan (bread). The vegetable dishes were colorful, flavorful, and absolutely worth a trip back to Raglan just for another meal there.

We didn’t have our bearings in Raglan, but ventured south along the shoreline and discovered a community called Whale Bay where the houses were on the cliffs, directly overlooking the surf. We found a stairway that took us down almost to the rocks. Just standing there overlooking the roiling surf, looking Westward toward Australia perhaps, or beyond, was breathtaking. I wouldn’t mind to spend our winters there where it would be endless summer.

Even without much sight we would have loved the sound of the rolling surf, which may have been accentuated by a western storm.