Ride To Raglan

Last Sunday we took a ride out to Raglan. It took us an hour to get there and that was even with taking a wrong turn. How did we manage to get it wrong you may ask? Well... we typed into maps on our iPad 'Raglan' and pressed start. All was going well until we listened to the lady on the iPad who told us to take a left turn and so we did but at this turn off was also a sign that actually pointed us to remain on the road we were on. Why oh why did we listen to a stupid computer generated voice who has some very strange pronunciation of places? Why didn't we trust the road sign to get us there? Well anyway, we carried on up the windy road with me starting to feel more and more sick as we went. We pulled over and took another look at the map to see exactly where we were being sent. Aaaargh! The stupid computer generated lady was sending us into the middle of the Pirongia Forest Park not Raglan at all! So this must be the centre of the Raglan district but not Raglan Village itself which is where we wanted to be. Ok so next time we will have to be more specific. Luckily where we pulled over was a road that would take us down to the village. A quick u-turn and we were on our way again. Oh no! Now we are on a narrow gravel road. Thankfully I'm driving now so I can keep the nausea under control and we eventually end up in Raglan Village. First stop was to have some lunch that I had packed. We found a sunny spot on one side of the inlet then we walked across the foot bridge into the village centre.

We walked up one side of the main street and stopped in at a few shops. I found a Trade Aid shop which I especially like going into as they have some lovely ideas for gifts and are very reasonably priced.

We wandered down the other side of the street, across the foot bridge and back to the car to go in search of the beach. While crossing the bridge I noticed a couple of people in the water swimming. They must build them tough out here! While it was a nice sunny day it wasn't that warm to go swimming I thought.

We parked the car and wandered down a steep path until we found the beach with it's black iron sand. Of course master 12 insisted that we bring a sample of it home so that he could experiment with a magnet to pull out the iron. Luckily being a Mum with all sorts of things in my handbag I had a paper bag to carry the sand in. 

The boys entertained themselves with jumping off the sand bank a couple of times.

Despite Master 12 proclaiming that he would not get wet (like he usually does) of course he did.

Somehow Master 13 appears to be made of Teflon because water nor sand seems to stick to him! Even when he jumps in the water.

There were some rocks in the middle of the beach and Master 12 spotted a star fish which he named Patrick, of course. I had to time getting a photo of it very carefully so that I would avoid the waves.

It didn't escape my notice that if you walk down a steep path eventually you will have to walk back up it. Oh boy! I'm so unfit! So I took a few photos of the view of the bay on the way which meant I had an excuse to stop, thank goodness!

The trip to Raglan turned out to be a success in the end. Master 12 requested that we return in summer to spend the day with our boogie boards. Of course we can, I'll even take mine.