North Island, NZ – Auckland to Raglan

After an amazing couple days with the Peterpans managers in Auckland, it was time to head south to begin my Maximus pass onboard Stray New Zealand!

Keys, our bus driver picked us up outside the Stray New Zealand shortly after 715am, she packed our bags into the bus and we then headed off on the road! Our first stop of the day to visit the Stray head office in Penrose, to meet the team, and get a better idea of how the Stray travel network works.

Our journey from Auckland to Raglan was spent travelling through the Waikato Region, ‘Wai’ meaning water, and ‘kato’ meaning mighty. The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, starting in Taupo and finishing just south of Auckland in a place called Port Waikato.

One of the highlights of the drive was stopping at Bridal Veil Falls. A short 10-minute walk into the bush we made it to the waterfall lookout point. Bridal Veil Falls get’s it name from it’s shape when it flows… in a shape of a bride’s veil.

The final destination for the day was Raglan. Raglan has been featured in various surfing movies, including The Endless Summer and more recently Last Paradise. It is a seaside beach town located on the Northwestern coast of New Zealand. It is the perfect spot for beginners to learn how to surf, or for those with a bit of surfing experience to perfect their skills. When we arrived in Raglan, the Raglan Surf School took the group of us through an on-land surf lesson. The surf team guided us through surf safety, styles of surfing, and techniques on how to get up while in the water. After we all perfected the 4-step surf approach, we were ready to head to the beach.

I think it’s safe to say; it’s hard to surf without smiling! Whether it be smiling after catching a good wave, or smiling from taking a massive wipeout – it’s all in good fun! Raglan Surf School guarantees that you will get up at least once, no matter how long it takes!

After everyone got a chance to have a sauna and shower up we headed down to the water for some Fish & Chips for dinner! There is nothing better than fresh out of the sea – fish and chips!

Later on after dinner a bunch of the group enjoyed some drinks in our lodge to toast off to an amazing journey ahead of us!

Until next adventure,

s.c.

Looking for a budget adventure? For 5% OFF any Peterpans Adventure Travel Package, use the promo code: SAMNZ on the peterpans.com.au website, email the call centre at info@peterpans.com or visit one of our many shops and quote SAMNZ to receive the discount!