Raglan's making waves

Once-sleepy Raglan is waking up and smellingthe coffee. But the little west coast town is still surfer heaven, writes SUE HOFFART.

A 12-year-olgirl sits behind the microphone at Raglan's 96.6 FM radio station. Velice Barnes and another Raglan Area School friend like to take the 10-pm-till-late show on Saturdays so they can air their music.

The community station relies on a wildly varied voluntary labour force to conduct casual interviews, spin the turntable - yes they still use vinyl - and play compact discs provided by anyone wanting to share their audio pleasures. They do things their own way in Raglan.

The manicured farmland surrounding Hamilton is half an hour and half a world away from the west coast town that is best known for its wild, black-sand surf beaches. Acres of yellow gorse flank SH23 as the narrow road winds through pinhead-sized towns before halting at the edge of Raglan Harbour.

For decades, the village has maintained its isolated surfers' mecca and alternative-lifestyler image, and has largely been ignored by those who live to the east. Until now, that is.

With a population of around 3300 it's the fastest-growing town in the Waikato. Farmers are subdividing and developers are moving in. Real estate prices have doubled in the past five years, as holiday homes spring up and workers base themselves here to commute to Hamilton.

Last count, the diminutive town boasted 43 operators offering everything from campsites, motel rooms, cabins made from converted railway cars and one-room homestays, to $200-a-night holiday homes and snazzy bed-and-breakfast establishments.

Visitors no longer need to forgo tasty cafe fare and espresso, and have access to stores selling locally made jewellery, ceramics, metalware and fine art. Holidaymakers can even buy a T-shirt that doesn't feature a surfboard or a fish, along with reasonably priced, Raglan-sewn designer clothing.

While some locals welcome the economic growth, others hate having to share their surf and wrestle with sewage problems.

Members of the new tourism board view expansion as inevitable but nobody wants to see their piece of paradise become another high-rise monstrosity like Mt Maunganui.

They need not fear for a while. Despite the development, Raglan is still a wonderfully relaxed small town. Around here, a bach is still a squat, square thing and the video store closes at 8.30 pm on a Saturday.

It takes about 15 seconds to cruise the main drag and everyone pretty much knows what everyone else had for dinner.

The main street is attractive, with its century-old, white-painted Harbour View Hotel and the impressive row of Phoenix palms that strut down traffic islands to the harbour. There are several good cafes, including the funky Tongue and Groove Lounge, which is crammed with homegrown art and features a table made from a broken surfboard. Vinnies Restaurant and its accompanying juice bar was opened by a Hawaiian import a decade ago, while the more recent Molasses Cafe occasionally brings bands into town and metamorphoses into a night club.

When ex-Aucklander Kate Bailey-Hellen launched the town's impressive website three years ago, it received about 180 virtual visitors a week. By August this year, it was drawing 230 visitors a day, about a fifth of whom were American.

About 21,600 visitors sought help from the information centre last year. In 1997, the annual visitor total was just over 11,000. Most people plan their trip over the internet before they come, Bailey-Hellen says. And it is very difficult to get accommodation here during the busy period.

Initially, Bailey-Hellen found the surfing fraternity particularly resistant to the idea of promoting the region's charms - they wanted to keep the surf to themselves - but now, the town's surfing academy and surf school feature prominently on her website. The surf school offers lessons to anyone keen to catch their first wave. Beginner lessons, which cover basic water safety and beach awareness, are taught on soft surfboards that come complete with rubber fins.

Those who prefer above-water thrills can charter a boat, paraglide, hire a kayak, drop a line over the side of Raglan Wharf, take a jet-boat ride or a cruise past the unusual rock formations inside the harbour.

Other tourist operators offer horse riding, skydiving and there is even a Clydesdale horse and wagon tour of the town. While the surf can be treacherous, the harbour is scattered with safer bays and iron-sand beaches, including several a few minutes' walk from the town.

Judging by the weekend throng of vehicles in the Manu Bay Recreation Reserve carpark, less than 8km from Raglan, surfing is still the number one spectator sport in these parts. Watching is infinitely less risky than joining the lithe, wetsuited bodies that dance atop the world-renowned left-handed break.

Bedding down for the night is a piece of cake as long as you book ahead in the high season.

T.H.A. Bach is a prime example of what makes staying in Raglan good. Set on a hillside overlooking the harbour, the cottage is cosy, cleverly decorated and stocked with local art.

One accommodation operator claims tourists are a little wary of Raglan because both the weather and the people can be unpredictable. But the truth is, the sun does shine on this friendly, easy-going place. Raglan is grand just the way it is.

RaglanNet

RaglanSurf.net

Hamilton Info