After spending an afternoon surfing, I had a day to myself to relax in Raglan. What better way than to explore and hike some of the highlights?

First up was the Bridal Veil Falls. From the top, other than the height they weren’t overly special.

It’s only when you move off to the side viewing platform that you really get a good view of them. The water cascades over the cliffs and fall 55 meters into the pool below.

There is a path that takes you down to the bottom of the falls, so I followed it down.

This track is so well travelled it even tells you the number of stairs to go down from the very top (something like 250), just so you know what you are getting yourself into. Not overly much really, but amusing all the same.

Half-way down there is another viewing spot.

And finally from the bottom you can view the falls straight on. You don’t really get to appreciate them as much from this vantage point…especially when the sun has just popped over the cliffs.

Then it was back to Raglan to wander around the town. One of the best aspects of the place I found was the copious amounts of fish and chip places. FRESH caugh fish and chips, for $6NZD? Yes please! They were delicious.

Finally it was out to the beaches. First is Ngarunui Beach, where I tried surfing, then Manu Bay and finally Whale Bay. The last two are for much more experienced surfers!