17 Things to Do in Raglan: Even if You’re Too Old to Surf

Raglan is not just a surfer’s paradise – there are plenty of things to do in Raglan for everyone, even people like me who think they are too old to surf. And I promise you, every surfer I met has assured me I am never too old to surf.

Whether you’re looking to catch some waves or take in the stunning natural scenery, this charming coastal town on New Zealand’s North Island is the perfect destination for adventure seekers and relaxation enthusiasts alike.

I instantly felt at home in Raglan. A strong sense of déjà vu, it reminded me of a surfing town I lived in long ago.

Steep rolling hills, sparkling waters, and crashing waves encapsulated a laid-back bohemian lifestyle and an artistic vibe.

Raglan is one of New Zealand’s famous surfing spots. Yet, we found plenty of other things to do in Raglan. Surfer or not, this town deserves a visit. 

Where is Raglan, New Zealand?

We spent our time strolling along on the beach, hiking, enjoying several of the walks in Raglan, dining, and drinking coffee.

Stroll along a Raglan beach

Raglan beaches are a haven for nature lovers, surfers, and families alike, offering a mix of dramatic black sand shores, world-class surf breaks, and tranquil spots for relaxation. Known for their unique beauty and vibrant coastal vibe, different beaches cater to different people—from seasoned surfers chasing the perfect wave to those seeking a peaceful escape by the sea.

In some ways, it felt like we were on an endless beach as we could walk at the water’s edge all the way from town along Wainamu Beach, Ocean Beach, before reaching Ngaranui Beach (check the tide times as full access is not available at high tide).

Wainamu Beach

Our first stop was Wainamu Beach, where I quickly removed my shoes and headed for the water’s edge. A somewhat calm day; the waves gently washed over my ankles as we strolled along the black sand. It was so peaceful and relaxing, and I could feel the stress of daily life melting away.

Importantly, this is not a swimming beach. Therefore, it’s rarely crowded and is popular for fishing or dog walking.

Ocean Beach

As we were on foot, we couldn’t really tell when Wainamu became Ocean Beach, but these photos reflect what the walk was like.

Ngaranui Beach

The main beach in town, Ngaranui Beach, spans 1600 metres and is home to the Raglan Surf Lifesaving Club. Despite being mid-week, there were plenty of surfers enjoying the day.

It’s a great beach for learning to surf. In fact, Ngaranui Beach is home to Raglan Surf School, NZ’s first sanctioned surf school offering year-round lessons. And, while we may think we are too old to surf, we were not the oldest on the beach, nor would we have been the oldest to take surf lessons here.

It took us about an hour to walk here from town.

Manu Bay, Whale Bay, and Indicators

These three Raglan beaches are where the big kids play. Home to some of New Zealand’s biggest, best, and most consistent surf breaks. Not the place to learn, these beaches are sought after by experienced surfers.

Manu Bay was featured and thus made famous in the 1966 movie Endless Summer.

Take a Raglan Harbour cruise

One of the really cool things we did on our most recent visit was to hop aboard the Wahinemoe for an evening sunset cruise.

Fascinating commentary, including a mix of interesting history and several laughs, brought the cruise to life, and Jeff and I each had a different highlight. For me, I was captivated by the 30-million-year-old sedimentary rock formations along a large portion of the shoreline. Previously, I thought these pancake rocks existed only in Punakaiki on the South Island and Waipu in the north.

For Jeff, it was that, plus discovering the huge navigation lights and learning how boats navigate over the bar and getting somewhat close to the wild water while remaining in the calm Whaingaroa Harbour.

While most of the passengers enjoyed the optional fish and chips served onboard, we decided to skip it this time, although they looked fantastic.

As for the sunset, we picked a cloudy day, but that didn’t dampen the adventure at all, and it meant fewer passengers onboard.

There is also a lunch cruise that highlights Raglan’s stunning natural beauty, including the chance to spot local wildlife and get up close to the fascinating rock formations. Book either harbour cruise here.

Raglan walks

If we weren’t at the beach, out on the water, or in a cafe or restaurant, we were doing one of the many Raglan walks.

Ngarunui Lookout Track

This track runs from Wainui Road to Ngarunui Beach, with a lookout (see image) at about ⅓ of the way up. When we started from the beach, we found it to be a somewhat steeper walk than we had anticipated, but the path seemed to level out quite a bit after the lookout.

If you are not headed down to the beach, you can start in the car park near the public toilets on Wainui Road to enjoy the lookout and an easy trail.

Kaitoke Walkway

Also called the estuary walk, this was one of our favourites on our last visit. As we were staying in a lovely house on Kaitoki Street, the walkway was right out the door and brought us to Wainui Road where it was just a short walk into town.

The total estuary walk runs from Wainui Road just before the bridge to Roberston Street and runs through some lovely bush while paralleling the estuary. It’s mostly flat, and we found it a pretty easy, gentle walk.

Mt. Karioi or Te Toto Gorge

These two Raglan walks / hikes couldn’t be more different from each other. The first is long and challenging, while the second is a short, easy walk. We put them together because their trailheads share a car park.

And this is important as GPS doesn’t seem to know it. It was about a kilometre off from the location of the Te Toto Gorge trail. So if you hear “you have arrived” and know you haven’t, keep going. It’s well-signposted and hard to miss.

• Climb to the summit of Mt. Karioi
  Time and rain forecast prevented us from tackling this challenging 3-hour (each way) hike to the summit of Mt. Karioi. Perhaps it’s for you, but not us. Athletic people seem to love it. Rated by DOC as an advanced track, you might want to read this before you go.
• Lookout at Te Toto Gorge
  Stunning views awaited us here. The lookout is fairly close to the carpark, and we chose to continue out to the point where we continued to enjoy amazing views.

More things to do in Raglan

There are still plenty more things to do in Raglan if you are not catching a wave at a Raglan surf beach.

Find peace at the Four Winds Sculptures at Wainui Reserve

Overlooking the ocean in the Wainui reserve, four carvings stand, each representing a different wind direction. Also called the Whaingaroa Creative Sculptures, they were carved in 2001 and placed in their current location in 2002. Under each is a buried crystal.

It’s a peaceful spot, encouraging quiet reflection and thought. The sculptures represent:

Be impressed at local art galleries and artisan shops

It’s easy to understand why Raglan’s light and friendly bohemian atmosphere and surrounding natural beauty are inspirational to artists. As a result, there is an enormous amount of talent to be discovered in the local galleries.

Don’t miss the Old School Arts Centre, run by the Raglan Community Arts Council. It is housed in a charming 19th-century heritage building. We also visited the Kanuka design gallery, Moz-art, and the Artists At Work studios in town, and several galleries on the wharf (Tony Sly Ceramics, Soul Shoes, and the Wharf Gallery.)

Sample craft beers at Workshop

In 2023, Workshop was awarded Micro Brewery of the Year at the New Zealand Beer Awards.

Craft beers, Kombucha, and a fermented fruit juice were on tap at Workshop Brewing Company during one of the free tastings, which we were told are every Thursday and Friday at 2pm.

Search for street art

In a bohemian town like Raglan, we didn’t have to search for long. As artists flock to this community, we easily found impressive street art.

An interesting note from Ava in the comments below:
“You know the mural of the girl in one of the pictures, well that person is me! My stepdad is a tattoo artist who works next to the mural, and his friend (also a tattoo artist) decided that he wanted to do a mural of me”

Things to do near Raglan

Regardless of which way we go, the drive in and out of Raglan is beautiful.

Walk the 261 steps to the bottom of Bridal Veil Falls

Bridal Veil Falls (Waireinga Falls) is one of the highlights of our time in Raglan, and we believe one of the best waterfalls in NZ. We reached the top of the 55-metre-high waterfall with an easy 10-minute hike from the car park area.

The trailhead is about a 15-minute drive out of town and well worth the effort to get there. While the walk to the top is easy, there are 261 steps down to the bottom. Although not difficult, I can assure you that going down was easier than the return walk.

Visit the wind farm

Having visited other wind farms in the past, we opted to just snap a shot of the Te Uku wind farm from the roadside lookout leading into town. However, there is an 18km return trip trail from just after Bridal Veil Falls on Kawhai Road (section closed in August and September for lambing).

The trail takes about four hours on foot or 2 hours on bike.

Sporty things to do in Raglan

Here are a few more options for the adventurous visitors.

• Karioi canyoning
  If jumping, climbing, abseiling down waterfalls, and navigating downstream in the ancient lava flow of Mount Karioi is your thing, reserve your canyoning adventure here.
• Enjoy a Limestone Express kayak tour
  This one sounds so fun, and tops our list for our next visit. Super popular, it often sells out. With no experience required, this 2 hour kayak adventure takes you into the heart of the limestone coast, called pancake rocks in a photo above. Reserve your Limestone Express kayak tour here
• Take a paddleboard lesson
  If you have wanted to give SUP a try, the Raglan harbour is perfect for you. And a lesson will give you the necessary skills to get you on the water with safety and confidence. Reserve your 1.5hr paddleboard lesson here
• Hire/Rent a kayak
  Called hire in New Zealand, rental in the states, if you comfortable to kayak on your own (sit on top ocean kayaks), you can rent one for any length of time. Reserve your kayak for 1 hour, 2 hours or 3 hours
• Take a surfing lesson
  I know that this page was about non-surfing things to do in Raglan, but when in Rome . . . If you have ever thought about taking a surf lesson, Raglan is an ideal spot to give it a try. Reserve your lessons at Raglan Surfing School.
  

Places to eat in Raglan (with gluten-free options)

• The Shack, Raglan – 19 Bow Street
  Healthy and delicious, we opted to have breakfast here twice, as well as great coffee. There were several gluten-free options, and they seemed to understand coeliac requirements.
• Orca Eatery & Bar – 2 Wallis Street
  So pleased that salmon was the market fish, with papaya and lime, on the night we had dinner at Orca. It was fabulous as well as being gluten and dairy-free. Jeff indulged in some classic fish and chips.
• Wyld – 17 Bow Street
  With a dedicated gluten-free fryer, I knew this place could handle my dietary requirements. And they even had a cabinet with several sweet options that were free from gluten, dairy and refined sugar. Another good coffee option.
• Roll Up
  They have two entrances, Bow Street or Volcom Lane, across from Raglan Roast. From there, I had the most amazing gluten and dairy-free burrito. Jeff’s was more traditional, but both were some of the best Mexican food we have enjoyed in NZ.
• Raglan Roast Coffee – Volcom Lane
  The classic. Down an alleyway, there seemed to always be a quick-moving queue when we passed. The first sip and we knew why. It is great coffee at affordable prices, just like they promote. Over the past 16 years, it grew from an old coffee machine in a kite surfing shop to a local’s favourite.
• Rock-it Kitchen – 248 Wainui Road
  Open for breakfast or lunch, this is another restaurant not to miss. I had the Lamb Mezze Platter. Made gluten and dairy-free for me, it is one of the best meals I have had since my dietary restrictions. Jeff (who can eat everything) enjoyed some fish tacos and a caramel slice. We left with full tummies and big smiles. 
• Ulo’s Kitchen – 6 Wallis Street
  Another restaurant that was highly recommended, but unfortunately, they are closed on Sunday, Monday, and Thursday. Offering plenty of alternative options and providing a DJ on Friday and Saturday nights, we will be sure to get to Ulo’s Kitchen on our next visit.

Accommodation in Raglan

We stayed in a lovely house right on the estuary, with kayaks and a SUP included. We were within walking distance of town, but we often drove anyway. They call it Muritai Waters. Book your stay at Muritai Waters here.

And if it’s not available, check out these options:

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Which of these things to do in Raglan will you try?

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• 9 Surprising Things to Do in Hamilton New Zealand
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Disclaimer: Thanks to Hamilton and Waikato Tourism for offering assistance in our Raglan adventure to aid in the writing of this destination article. However, the opinions expressed here are strictly our own.