Raglan
Encyclopedia
Raglan is a small beachside town located 48 km west of Hamilton, New Zealand
on State Highway 23. The population was 2,637 at the 2006 New Zealand Census.
at the time.
The first Europeans to settle in the area were the Rev James and Mary Wallis
who were Wesleyan Missionaries that local Māori embraced and welcomed in 1835. European settlement including large scale conversion of land to pasture commenced in earnest almost 20 years after the mission in the mid 1850’s after a large sale of land by Chief Wiremu Neera Te Awaitaia
.
The local Raglan economy was supported initially by flax and timber exports, these were followed by farming and dairy which are still the mainstays of the area. Tourism and the arts are also significant contributors to the current economy. Raglan and District Museum contains historic artefacts and archives from the region. A new museum building was built in 2011.
The town was the scene for very public civil disobedience
campaigns in the 1970s. During World War II
the New Zealand Government took local ancestral land from indigenous
Māori owners to construct a military airfield
. When no longer required for defence purposes, part of the land, a 62 acres (250,905.3 m²) block, was not returned to the owners but became the public Raglan golf course.
There was widespread protest and attempts to reoccupy the land, and in 1978 20 Māori protesters were arrested on the ninth hole of the golf course. The land was eventually returned to the owners to become
a focus for local job-training and employment programs, as well as for the Māori sovereignty movement
.
region in New Zealand
's North Island
. The harbour runs 12 km inland from the entrance, for the most part is less than 2 km wide, and is the northernmost of three large inlets in the Waikato coast.
Southwest of the township stands the extinct volcano of Mt Karioi. According to Māori legend
the Karioi was a jilted Māori Princess who, upon discovering that love was lost, lay down and rests until this day.
The area is also home to the popular tourist destination, Bridal Veil Falls
, which is located 20 kilometres southeast of the township.
and in the 2010 movie Last Paradise.
Indicators is a left hand point break that breaks for up to 600m, from 2 to 10 feet+ (Hawaiian scale). It is a long-walled, fast wave with occasional barrels, particularly on the low tide. It picks up a lot of swell and is very consistent. On big days the wave can link up with the next break called Whale Bay.
Whale Bay is a left hand point break that breaks up to 200m in length, from about 2 to 8 feet+. It has two sections, an inside hollow section up to about 4 feet that breaks very close to the rocks, and an outside, slower section from 4 feet up. It has been rumoured by locals to link up with the next break further down-Manu Point-but only on very large swells, making a potential ride of up to 2 km from the top of Indicators, which locals say has only been achieved once.
Manu Point is a left hand point break which works from 2 to 10 feet+, breaking over 300m. It has alternate hollow and wall sections, occasional barrels, and is usually about 2/3 the size of Indicators.
Vortex Bay is a soft peak east of the boat ramp that sometimes breaks on low tide when the swell is too large for the main three points.
There is also a beach break further down from Manu Point. Ruapuke is another beach break well to the west around the point.
Raglan has hosted a world championship surfing event at Ruapuke
beach and is home to a learn-to-surf school.
there are displays of Māori art. Local art is on display in the Show Off Gallery, Kanuka Design, Matapihi Gallery, local cafes and the Raglan Old School Arts Centre. The Arts Centre is in a 19th century heritage building, the former Raglan School.
The main venue in Raglan for live music is the Yot Club, a regular stop for NZ musician's on national tours. There is also live music at the Orca Restaurant and Bar, the Harbourview Hotel, the Raglan Club and Vinnies Cafe.
The Musicians' Club have open-mic nights at the Orca Restaurant and Bar on the last Thursday of each month.
The New Zealand reggae
band Cornerstone Roots
was formed in Raglan.
Musician Anna Coddington
grew up in Raglan.
The Australian a cappella folk singer/songwriter Samantha Star lived in Raglan.
. Xtreme Waste's stated goal is to create a waste management
system for the Raglan/Whaingaroa community in which none of the waste is stored in landfills. The organization was founded in 2000, after Raglan's landfill closed and the town decided to find an alternative to transporting its waste elsewhere. Xtreme Waste has recycled an increasing volume and percentage of waste every year, and as of 2010, it diverts nearly three-quarters of the town's waste from reaching the landfill. It operates a recycling
center, which is open to the public and offers group tours.
Actor Antonio Te Maioha
, who lives in Raglan, has publicly spoken about his own involvement and Raglan's leadership in recycling. He mentioned that Raglan is one of the few towns in New Zealand with recycling bins in the main street, and describes how people he knew became involved in recycling because of Xtreme Waste's programs.
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
on State Highway 23. The population was 2,637 at the 2006 New Zealand Census.
History
The Raglan area has been inhabited for at least 800 years and was originally known by Māori as Whangaroa “the long pursuit”. To avoid confusion with another place of the same name, Whaingaroa was later adopted to avoid confusion. The current name of Raglan was adopted in 1858 in honour of Fitzroy Somerset, 1st Lord Raglan, who was the commander of British forces in the Crimean WarCrimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
at the time.
The first Europeans to settle in the area were the Rev James and Mary Wallis
James and Mary Wallis
James and Mary Wallis were Wesleyan missionaries and the first European Settlers in Raglan, New Zealand.- Early years and journey to New Zealand :...
who were Wesleyan Missionaries that local Māori embraced and welcomed in 1835. European settlement including large scale conversion of land to pasture commenced in earnest almost 20 years after the mission in the mid 1850’s after a large sale of land by Chief Wiremu Neera Te Awaitaia
Wiremu Neera Te Awaitaia
Wiremu Neera Te Awaitaia was a Māori chief in New Zealand during first contact with European traders, the 1820s Musket Wars up to the 1860s New Zealand land wars. Born in or around 1796 into the Waikato Tribe of Ngāti Mahanga, he has been described as a "friend of Pākehā and a Chief of great...
.
The local Raglan economy was supported initially by flax and timber exports, these were followed by farming and dairy which are still the mainstays of the area. Tourism and the arts are also significant contributors to the current economy. Raglan and District Museum contains historic artefacts and archives from the region. A new museum building was built in 2011.
The town was the scene for very public civil disobedience
Civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance...
campaigns in the 1970s. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the New Zealand Government took local ancestral land from indigenous
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
Māori owners to construct a military airfield
Aerodrome
An aerodrome, airdrome or airfield is a term for any location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo, passengers or neither...
. When no longer required for defence purposes, part of the land, a 62 acres (250,905.3 m²) block, was not returned to the owners but became the public Raglan golf course.
There was widespread protest and attempts to reoccupy the land, and in 1978 20 Māori protesters were arrested on the ninth hole of the golf course. The land was eventually returned to the owners to become
a focus for local job-training and employment programs, as well as for the Māori sovereignty movement
Maori protest movement
The Māori protest movement is a broad indigenous rights movement in New Zealand. While this movement has existed since Europeans first colonised New Zealand its modern form emerged in the early 1970s and has focused on issues such as the Treaty of Waitangi, Māori land rights, the Māori language and...
.
Geography
Raglan is associated with Whaingaroa Harbour (also known as Raglan Harbour) on the west coast of the WaikatoWaikato
The Waikato Region is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupo District, and parts of Rotorua District...
region in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
. The harbour runs 12 km inland from the entrance, for the most part is less than 2 km wide, and is the northernmost of three large inlets in the Waikato coast.
Southwest of the township stands the extinct volcano of Mt Karioi. According to Māori legend
Maori mythology
Māori mythology and Māori traditions are the two major categories into which the legends of the Māori of New Zealand may usefully be divided...
the Karioi was a jilted Māori Princess who, upon discovering that love was lost, lay down and rests until this day.
The area is also home to the popular tourist destination, Bridal Veil Falls
Bridal Veil Falls (Waikato)
Bridal Veil Falls is a plunge waterfall located along the Pakoka River in the Waikato area of New Zealand. The waterfall is 55 metres high, and has over time caused the formation of a large pool at the base of the waterfall....
, which is located 20 kilometres southeast of the township.
Surf Breaks
Raglan is best known for its surf. Eight kilometres from the Raglan township is a series of surf breaks including Indicators, Whale Bay, Manu Bay, Vortex Bay. Manu Bay was featured in the 1966 movie The Endless SummerThe Endless Summer
The Endless Summer is a 1966 film in the surf movie genre.Director Bruce Brown follows two surfers, Mike Hynson and Robert August, on a surf trip around the world. Despite the balmy climate of their native California, cold ocean currents make local beaches inhospitable during the winter...
and in the 2010 movie Last Paradise.
Indicators is a left hand point break that breaks for up to 600m, from 2 to 10 feet+ (Hawaiian scale). It is a long-walled, fast wave with occasional barrels, particularly on the low tide. It picks up a lot of swell and is very consistent. On big days the wave can link up with the next break called Whale Bay.
Whale Bay is a left hand point break that breaks up to 200m in length, from about 2 to 8 feet+. It has two sections, an inside hollow section up to about 4 feet that breaks very close to the rocks, and an outside, slower section from 4 feet up. It has been rumoured by locals to link up with the next break further down-Manu Point-but only on very large swells, making a potential ride of up to 2 km from the top of Indicators, which locals say has only been achieved once.
Manu Point is a left hand point break which works from 2 to 10 feet+, breaking over 300m. It has alternate hollow and wall sections, occasional barrels, and is usually about 2/3 the size of Indicators.
Vortex Bay is a soft peak east of the boat ramp that sometimes breaks on low tide when the swell is too large for the main three points.
There is also a beach break further down from Manu Point. Ruapuke is another beach break well to the west around the point.
Raglan has hosted a world championship surfing event at Ruapuke
Ruapuke
Ruapuke is a small farming community in the Waikato region on the slopes of rocky mountains, between Raglan and Kawhia in New Zealand. It comprises a handful of families, some of whom have lived there for many generations. The residents, predominantly sheep and cattle farmers, all traverse Ruapuke...
beach and is home to a learn-to-surf school.
Arts
Visual artists hold regular exhibitions at the Raglan Old School Art Centre. Fabric artists show their creations in the biennial ArtoWear competition. There is also a Raglan Arts Trail Guide with an Open Studio Weekend in late January. For MatarikiMatariki
In the Māori language Matariki is both the name of the Pleiades star cluster and also of the season of its first rising in late May or early June - taken as the beginning of the new year...
there are displays of Māori art. Local art is on display in the Show Off Gallery, Kanuka Design, Matapihi Gallery, local cafes and the Raglan Old School Arts Centre. The Arts Centre is in a 19th century heritage building, the former Raglan School.
Markets
There is a regular market on the second Sunday of every month at the Raglan Old School Arts Centre in Stewart Street. This Raglan Creative Market specialises in local crafts, food and art.Music
There's a live music scene in Raglan. The International Soundsplash Eco Reggae Festival ran yearly in summer on the Wainui Reserve, between 2001 and 2008, and attracted some of the biggest names in roots, reggae and dub, as well as local acts.The main venue in Raglan for live music is the Yot Club, a regular stop for NZ musician's on national tours. There is also live music at the Orca Restaurant and Bar, the Harbourview Hotel, the Raglan Club and Vinnies Cafe.
The Musicians' Club have open-mic nights at the Orca Restaurant and Bar on the last Thursday of each month.
The New Zealand reggae
New Zealand reggae
New Zealand reggae is the New Zealand variation of the musical genre reggae. It is a large and well established part of New Zealand music, and includes some of the country's most successful and highly acclaimed bands....
band Cornerstone Roots
Cornerstone Roots
Cornerstone Roots are a successful contemporary New Zealand reggae band from Raglan/Whaingaroa in the Waikato.Formed in 2001 after a session at the infamous local Raglan Musicians Club, the original three-piece outfit singer/songwriter/guitarist Brian and drummer Turongo Dixon and bassist Naomi...
was formed in Raglan.
Musician Anna Coddington
Anna Coddington
Anna Coddington is a New Zealand singer-songwriter.. She has released two albums: "The Lake" in 2008 and "Cat & Bird" in Feb 2011. Her previous band 'Duchess', for whom Coddington was songwriter, singer and guitarist, also released a 6 track EP in 2005....
grew up in Raglan.
The Australian a cappella folk singer/songwriter Samantha Star lived in Raglan.
Recycling
Recycling in Raglan is managed by a non-profit organization called Xtreme WasteXtreme Waste
Xtreme Waste is a non-profit organization dedicated to recycling and based in the town of Raglan, New Zealand. According to its mission statement, its goal is to create a waste management system for the Raglan/Whaingaroa community in which none of the trash would be stored in landfills.Xtreme...
. Xtreme Waste's stated goal is to create a waste management
Waste management
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics...
system for the Raglan/Whaingaroa community in which none of the waste is stored in landfills. The organization was founded in 2000, after Raglan's landfill closed and the town decided to find an alternative to transporting its waste elsewhere. Xtreme Waste has recycled an increasing volume and percentage of waste every year, and as of 2010, it diverts nearly three-quarters of the town's waste from reaching the landfill. It operates a recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
center, which is open to the public and offers group tours.
Actor Antonio Te Maioha
Antonio Te Maioha
Antonio Te Maioha is a television and film actor from New Zealand. He first came to international prominence when he played a gladiator named Barca in the television drama Spartacus: Blood and Sand.-Background:...
, who lives in Raglan, has publicly spoken about his own involvement and Raglan's leadership in recycling. He mentioned that Raglan is one of the few towns in New Zealand with recycling bins in the main street, and describes how people he knew became involved in recycling because of Xtreme Waste's programs.