Surfing Raglan

Justin and I spent the weekend camping and surfing in Raglan with our neighbors, Rebecka and Peter.  We drove down to Raglan (about two hours south of Auckland on the west coast) on Saturday morning, checked into our campsite at Raglan Kopua Holiday Park and headed for Ngarunui Beach.  We hired surf boards for an hour and then laid on the beach for the rest of the afternoon.  I left my wetsuit at the campsite and had to use a short one provided by the surf board hire place.  Something on the board really irritated my arms and knees and left me covered in red bumps.  

Lindsay at Whale Bay....for expert surfers only

That evening we set up our campsite and then walked over the bridge to the main street of Raglan for dinner at Vinnie's.  We enjoyed pizza and chips followed by a fun evening hanging out at the campsite.  There was much discussion surrounding jumping off aforementioned bridge as we saw two young boys jump on our way to dinner.  Fortunately, the tides were not in our favor as there were warnings not to jump at low tide and so we stayed dry (and safe).  

Our campsite....yep, we got a tent

The bridge looking back at the campground

Main Street Raglan

Sunday morning we enjoyed breakfast at Blacksand Cafe before heading back to the beach.  We hired boards for a half day and spent the next four hours surfing (with a few rest breaks).  This was our third time to surf and Justin and I both mastered the skill of actually standing on our boards.  I won't say what usually happened after about 10 seconds of my standing up on the board but never-the-less, I am proud of my surf skills!  Now picture me looking really cool with a cute pink surf board before you scroll down to the photos and see me in my full wet suit and GIANT board.  Rebecka and I both enjoyed having a girl to surf and lay on the beach with since neither of our partners can sit still!  Surfing takes its toll though and we were barely able to function for the rest of the day (or the next day for that matter). 

Justin walking back with his board

I'm sure you pictured us looking this cool??

Yep, beginner surfers need giant boards....easier to balance and control