A Sun-Soaked Long-Weekend in Raglan

It was Easter weekend and I had no plans: four days off and nothing to do. I was thinking about spending a weekend road tripping alone until my friend Charlotte who lives in Queenstown got in touch and suggested a trip somewhere. We both had never visited Raglan and had an equal desire to go, so we booked flights up to Auckland and a little rental car and off we went.

(If you are renting a car in New Zealand – I highly recommend Snap Rentals – they are super cheap and efficient – you can see their deals at this LINK)

Raglan was brilliant. We had such a good time. It is small and chilled – a sort of New Zealand version of Aussie’s Byron Bay. It is known for surfing but there are loads of other things to do there too. I couldn’t recommend it enough for a weekend break so naturally, I wanted to share. Keep on reading for what we did, where we stayed and what we ate…

What we did:

Beach Hangs

This was our main event in Raglan – we had amazing weather so spent a good amount of time lying on the beach, reading and swimming. There is a huge amazing beach so loads of room to have a private afternoon soaking the sun.

Bridal Veil Falls

This 100m waterfall was well worth the visit. A 20-minute drive from Raglan and a walk up and down a steep path. It was beautiful and highly memorable.

Yoga

There are lots of places to do yoga in Raglan. We really enjoyed a class at Solscape, but there is also the Yoga Loft and The Space Yoga in the town centre.

Shopping

There are some super cute little shops in Raglan, think whimsical fashion and gift boutiques. I loved mincing around them and finding some gems. I was also so excited to visit Soul Shoes, a handmade leather store in Raglan that I have been following for a while.

Raglan Arts Weekend

We were lucky to be in Raglan over Easter weekend which was the annual Raglan Arts Weekend where lots of local artists and makers were having open studios. It’s certainly a very artistic place and there is loads of creativity happening. Be sure to check out the local galleries if you can.

Hiking

Disclaimer: we didn’t hike. BUT there is a really appealing 2-3 hour hike up Karioi – an ancient volcano that would definitely make for a good one.

A Big Night out

We had a really fun night out in Raglan. I always find the best nights out are in small towns like this where there is only one place to go so that everyone ends up in the same place. In Raglan it’s the Yot Club which opens at 10 and actually had a really amazing DJ. Seasonairre

Surfing

Raglan is the home of surfing so if you are into that or want to try it, this is the place to do it in New Zealand. I sadly didn’t try it but if you want to there are lots of places to rent boards in town and at the various hostels. You can also rent paddle boards and go out in the inlet too.

Where we stayed:

Solscape

We were so late in the game when it came to booking our trip, unfortunately, there were next to no Airbnb left. Our top pick for accommodation was the eco-lodge Sol Scape but there weren’t rooms available for every night of our trip. We did manage to bag the last beds they had for our first night there. I stayed in a dorm room and Charlotte in a private, both in quirky old train carriages.

This was cool but it was so so cold and I didn’t have the best night sleep. BUT, we didn’t stay here for the beds, we stayed for the café with the epic view, the yoga classes and the beautiful location!

I would definitely stay here again but book early to get one of the more comfortable sleeping options. They also have van sites to take your camper too.

Harbour View Hotel

For the next two nights, we got the last place we could find available which meant a couple of rooms above the pub in the centre of town. This was probably not somewhere we would have chosen to stay but it worked out well. The rooms were clean and comfortable, and the location was premium. A nice Airbnb would have been more preferable but ah well!