The beginning! He said, She said

Todd and I are going to try and write each of our views on certain places we visit, so you can hear it from different perspectives. Mind you Todd is an English major so he has an upper hand on me but I got the photos down :)

RAGLAN

SHE…….

Have fallen in love with this small quaint surf town! We ended up going there on our first day to pick up a board for Todd. We stopped at a small coffee shop outside of Raglan called Raglan Roast. There we met the owner and surfer Tony. Todd asked him where a good surf shop was to purchase a board. He said that ……… was the best and not to bother anywhere else. When we arrived into the main part of town we parked the car and took a walk. Tucked away between two buildings was a walkway paved in brick. Todd found the board he wanted and after talking to the employee we found out that Tony was the owner!! We ha

d a good laugh and then went to a Asian fish and chips place. It had to be the worst fish and chips I have ever had, yuck! We then drove around to check out the area. Todd got a good surf in and I had tons of fun photographing and walking around. I can’t seem to put the camera down at all during this trip so far. The coastline was breath taking big cliffs in the background. On the way out of town we stopped by the coffee shop again. As we pulled in Tony had a big smile on his face and a chai latte (for me) and coffee for Todd waiting for us. Since then we have been to Raglan once more to hang out with Tony and his crew. What a wonderful bunch of people and we plan on stopping through again. That is what traveling is for me. Other than seeing new things it is all about the people and friends you make along the way. Just a side note, the campgrounds in New Zealand are AWESOME!! Clean communal kitchens, showers, and most have washer and dryers (something you take for granted when you are on the road!

HE……..

Raglan is a surf spot I’ve heard and read about for years. Yet arriving there, the moo had already begun. It was our first drop in on our 70 day wave vacation. The van ride was electric and the jet lag still lingered. I bought a 6’10” that was nice and think as wetsuit, booties, hood, and gloves are a must for the south island. Our man Tony was an interesting character with a small town charm that made me feel very at home. Physically awesome, the topography is a giant bay fed by a wide river. Tony actually paddle boards home every night crossing it. We watched our first rugby game as well, in the only hotel’s bar and dining area, toasting to the all blacks several times. My first surf of the trip was a simple 3 wave warm up w

hich I am hoping urns out to be an epic adventure. adjusting to a new board, wetsuit and unfamiliar line up isn’t easy, but sure fun!

Tony's coffee shop right outside of Raglan

Our first night we got into Auckland at 2am and just looked for a place to park.....ended up behind a McDonalds, hahahaha

on the drive.....left side of the road...not fun!

on our drive to Raglan

place that sold not very good fish and chips

worst chips and fish.....tummy didn't feel to good after this meal

one of the few line-ups at Raglan beautiful coastline!

Rainbow at our campgrounds on our second visit to Raglan.

Who puts Potato Salad in a jar? yuck!

a cute little cafe that sells Tony's coffee

waxing the new stick!

todd waiting for a wave.....and waiting.....

Grass near the rocks fell in love with it, leaves for a fun photo

surfers getting in, really appreciate CR beaches when you look at this rockiness!

Todd getting out of the surf a bit chilled!

Low tide at Raglan had fun poking around the tide pools but not too much around!

Me getting side-tracked with my photog

Wind power baby!