The next stop was Raglan. This upscale town is built around the coast has a beach town vibe. The main center of town is one small street with bakeries, grocery store, butcher and a few small stores in between. We stayed at Bow Street Studios at the end of the road in the heart of town. The apartment was at the base fo the ocean.

The beach is steps away with a large bridge over the bay. During high tide people jumped off the bridge into the ocean. During the low tide it’s possible to walk across the bay through the water rather than take the bridge.  We have been traveling the coastline of New Zealand.  Each and every beach and coastline has been incredible, large and unpopulated.  I can honestly say everything I’ve seen in New Zealand is over the top beautiful.

Ngarunui Beach is a short drive from Raglan and we visited this beach twice during our three day stay. After a steep walk down (and back up) from the parking lot we were greeted with a huge coastline and tons of surf lessons going on in different groups. This beach has a constant current of low waves and is the heart of surfing lessons. Most people surfing had wetsuits on to withstand the cold water.  Doug went for a swim but didn’t stay in too long. He can swim in sub zero temperatures compared to most people.  One of the really cool things about this beach is the sand. The entire beach is a black sand.

The past two days have started off cloudy with a little rain.  Whenver the weather is bad I start to question if I’m getting tired of traveling and picking up and leaving places every three to four days. Am I taking enough in through this experience?  Why am I sick of wearing the same clothes and looking like a traveler all of the time? Should I be thinking of profiting somehow on this once and a lifetime experience or just enjoying it as a personal amazing adventure with the man I love?  These questions pop up sometimes when the weather sucks. The way to deal with these negative thoughts is to “play the tape all the way through”.  I think of myself in a  stable place.  Now what?  The answer is always the same. I would miss traveling, having fun anticipating the next new place, being with Doug relaxing and laughing together with no end date in sight.  I’m so thankful for this adventure and so blessed to be doing this with Doug whom I love being around all of the time.

Driving from Raglan to Hahei took almost four hours. We chose to take the scenic coastal route which extends the trip by an hour.  One of the stops was through the town of Coromandel. They are known for fresh oyster and smoked fishes. The first one we stopped at was an actual oyster farm that sold oysters, mussels and fish (raw and cooked). This is the place we had the best smoked fish chowder in our lives. I also tried the raw oysters and fried oysters.

The second place was the Coromandel Smoking Company. They smoke everything in house from fish to cheese. Customers can bring in their own fish or cheese and have it smoked there. It was a smoked mussel paradise for me.

Raglan was a great stop and it was nice to see another small town in New Zealand. These small towns really show the daily life of New Zealanders and how simple life can be. Besides the great meat we bought nightly from the local butcher, we really loved the vibe.