I just spent Labour Weekend in Raglan and although the waves were terrible (third trip in a row for me now – damn you northwest winds), visiting Raglan on the brink of summer is pretty cool. There is something about the late afternoon sunshine filtering through the native bush and twisting around Mt Karioi that casts a magical spell over this place.
Here are three of my top reasons why Raglan rocks even when the waves are cactus:
Community:
From open air sunset gatherings like the food-truck powered Evening Eats to concerts bathed in sunshine and with good food and brews flowing, like Summer Sessions. There is something for the whole community to sink their teeth into. Very little red tape, just good, good, very summery vibes. Yes.
Environmental Leadership:
Want a takeaway coffee? Well, you've come to the wrong place. Yep, my own mate, Miles Ratima, gave me an insight into why my desire for a coffee in a takeaway cup was heedless of the environment. He put a porcelain coffee cup in my hands and we stopped and chatted at his café named Outsides. Slowing down is also good for the soul. At Evening Eats you could hire your cutlery ... yes, awesome. At the beach you quickly learn "The Raglan Way" ... and it is a very good way.
RSP:
And then I discovered the hive of activity that surrounds the Raglan Skate Park. Just across the walkbridge from town, the iconic park features a double bowl, quarter-pipes, rainbow kickers and street obstacles. And a new addition is the bitumen-finished pump track. This is a stellar piece of engineering and on the sunny afternoon we visited, it was a swirling school of skaters from young kids of 6-8, to teenagers and those well into their 20s riding all manner of boards, bikes and scooters. I was envious. This is an all-weather training ground for surfers. Just epic.
This is life in the sunshine. I quite like it.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS For many years now my photography mentor Kim Westerskov has been asking me to focus more on the lifestyle of surfing rather than just the waves. I look through his work in the '60s and '70s and he nailed the surf lifestyle of the era. Then last week NZ Geo invited me to a workshop with Mel Burford – she's a photographer from Greymouth, now living in Norway. She's won a Pulitzer Prize for her work, has Nat Geo as a client and is pretty much an editorial photography legend. She spends months on her stories. Humble as you can get. She gave us an insight into how to tell the stories we are trying to tell in a much better way – in ways that truly honour the integrity and power of those with a story to tell. At the same event, I shook hands with the 2019 NZ Geographic Photographer of the Year: Rob Suisted. Also, something of an inspiration in his own right. Fizzed up now, look out.
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