Surfing in Raglan

We left Auckland early on Tuesday morning to start our trip.  The Stray bus was waiting at one of the intersections downtown and there were about 10 of us waiting for the driver to show up.  Our driver has an unforgettable name - Seagull.  Yes.  That is his real name.  We picked up several more travelers at different hostels and locations in Auckland before getting on the road to Raglan, our first stop.  There were about 30 of us from different countries.  I think there were 2 or 3 of us from the US but the majority of them are from Europe - Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, England, Ireland, etc.  As expected most of them are in their 20s', so I am the old man in the group.  Quite a few of them are curious as to what I do and how old I am.  They were pleasantly surprised that I am retired and just traveling for fun.  Most of the travelers are on breaks or in-between jobs.  Some travel for a 2-3 weeks, some a month, and some even for 6 months.  Many of them are combining Australia and New Zealand into one big trips.  Some are staying in NZ for a year to work.  This seems to be a popular place for young folks to work.

It took us about 5 hours to get to our first stop, Raglan.  On the way there, we stopped at a well-know waterfall called Bridal Veil.  Raglan is known as the surfing capital in NZ.  It's a small town, maybe a few hundred people but during surfing competition, the town gets very crowded.  We were offered surf lessons, just surfing or hanging out.  It costs NZ$80.  I decided to sign up for the lessons.  We were first given a lecture and some practices on land.  It sounds easy.  We then go to the beach, put on our wet suits, then put our lessons into practice.  Well....it's much, much harder than you think.  Also, it's a lot of work.  It's not easy fighting the waves and trying to hang on to your surf board.  The hardest part is getting up on the surf board and then keeping your balance.  I must have tried at least 20 times, and even with the help of the instructor, I was able to stand on the surf board maybe once or twice and only for a couple of seconds.  It gives me an appreciation seeing others who do it so easily.  You also have to be careful when you get washed over by the waves.  The board can hit you pretty hard.  One guy got his nose bloodied.  I slammed my face on the board once but fortunately, it was not too hard.  At the end of the 2-hour session, we were all very sore and tired.  I slept well that night.
The lodge where we stayed is also where the Raglan Surf School is located.  It is owned by the same people.  The lodge is pretty rustic.  It is built against the side of the mountain.  The bathrooms and showers are all outside.  I slept in a room with 4 beds but there were only 3 of us.  One guy is from the French part of Switzerland and the other is from the Netherlands.  The Swiss guy has just graduated from medical school and the Dutch fellow is a physical therapist.  Both are in their mid-20s'.  Even with the age difference, they accept me as regular friends.  The driver/tour guide bought fish and chips for $5  for each of us and we had a great time socializing with each other.
At night we took a walk down the drive way where we saw a lot of glowworms.  It is an amazing sight, seeing tiny bright lights in the bushes.  The glowworms use the light to attract their prey and the food is used to make them light up.
In the morning we starting driving towards Lake Rotorua and Maketu where we will spend the night.

Note:  I have not be able to update my blog as much as possible because we were traveling in remote areas.  It is amazing that internet is not as readily available in NZ, being an advance country.  We just arrived in Taupo this afternoon.  Taupo is a slightly bigger town and internet is easily available. I should be able to post a couple of new updates to my blog.

Who is this surfer dude?

Veranda outside kitchen in the lodge

Bridal Veil Falls