Admittedly I do not having a bucket list, although I have been tempted to make one after all the stuff I have done on this trip. Caving with glowworms? Check. Zorbing (I have wanted to do that ever since I saw it on Rocket Power)? Check. Smoke a pipe in the Shire and pretend I'm Gandolf? Well minus the pipe. Interact with a sheep? Check.
How about learning to surf at a surfer's paradise? Check and check.
This weekend's adventure brought me to Raglan, a short hour long bus ride from Hamilton. Ever seen the cult classic The Endless Summer or more recently Last Paradise? Filmed in Raglan. I was contemplating taking a bone carving class, but when I was informed by John Hoag (my resident surfing expert) about Raglan's status among the world's elite surfing destinations, I knew a surfing lesson was not something that I could pass up.
But before we get to that, let's back track for a second.
The day started off as any Saturday morning should; I was tired, groggy and regretting the early morning plans I had made. Nonetheless, I threw down a few pieces of toast and hopped on the bus to Raglan. After winding through the hills and valleys (typical New Zealand drive), we arrived at what appeared to be a jungle, with wild turkey and chicken running everywhere (Sidenote-I swear that this must be the only place in the world where you can go from farmland, that is no different than what you would see in the states mind you, and then walk into a jungle. Or a cave. Or a fjord. etc. etc. etc.). We followed a path into said jungle and soon found ourselves staring down one of nature's beautiful beasts. The Bridal Veil Waterfall is a 55 meter drop that cannot be described by any other word than majestic. But after seeing the top, you would naturally want to see the bottom right? And so, after climbing down 261 stairs, we got to the bottom. Now imagine standing there and looking up at this:
After arriving in the quaint town of Raglan, we headed straight for the wharf to take a little harbor cruise. It was a beautiful day to take a boat out. I was even comfortable in shorts, despite the breeze and winter climate. The whole bay is surrounded by limestone that is as old as the country itself (but don't fool yourself, that's only a few hundred thousand years. New Zealand is the youngest country in the world after all!). The bay is also famous for the Orcas and giant white manta rays that live in it. It made for some spectacular views.
But the highlight of the day was definitely the surfing. I had always been skeptical about surfing, it just never seemed like something that would really get me going. In fact, I liked to poke fun at my few friends that do surf. But I decided that if I was going to do it, I was going to do it right. So when John told me that this was the place to do it, I could not say no. Needless to say that I have a lot more respect for surfers now. First off, what could be wrong with going swimming in the ocean in the middle of the winter? Secondly, it's pretty cool to say that I surfed the endless summer beach. Thirdly, what a thrill it is to get up on that board and ride a wave in. I completely underestimated how fast you move on a surf board. They glide across the water. Now, I don't want to give you the wrong impression. I was by no means a natural. But by the end of the day, I had gotten up a few times and that was good enough for me. Shoulders burning, I scuffled back up to the bus and headed home.
On Thursday I will be heading to the Bay of Islands and am looking forward to a visit from Mike Baranowsky next weekend.
Have a great weekend!
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