The Raglan Effect

It takes me already a few weeks to think about how I could explain why I feel so addicted to this amazing small village. When I arrived in Raglan for the first time I thought "That looks nice". 'Nice'..not really an expressive word, but the basis existed immediately.

I have been walked through the Main Road sometimes alone, sometimes with friends but most of the time with a coffee in the hand and felt just so complete. I noticed more then often that Raglan is only full of beautiful, hot people. I swear, Raglan has sexy vibes!

There are all these small stores where you can buy so many surf and beach things, all this pretty bohemian jewellery or just mint chocolate and rum raising ice cream. In the Ralgan Roast you can get the best mocha ever and in the Habour View Hotel the cheapest Gin Tonic. Everyone you meet in the week you'll find in the Yot Club on Saturday where a band is playing rock music or reggae. On the Sunday Session, again in the Yot Club, you'll talk about the crazy last night while you realize that this Sunday Session is gonne be the best night in your life. Every week again.

If you like it fruity you should try the frozen yoghurt at the Blind Tiger, if you like fish'n'chips go to the Wharf. Take the kayak and paddle to the pancake rocks, jump from the bridge between Backpackers and the skatepark, but only when it's high tide!, and go surfing as often as you can. Dance out your "Raglan problems" and just feel Raglan, live Raglan.

When I falling asleep in my car, it doesn't matter if on the carpark at the Backpackers or on the camp ground, I just feel blessed about this perfect life I can live here in Raglan. Even when I'm walking alone through Raglan, I never feel lonely. And when you are driving into Raglan, over the hill, looking down to this perfect place, coming home from a long surfday, your hair is curly and your eyes are burning because of the salt water and you know in 10 minutes you're going to take your surfboard off your own car and hang aroung with your friends and drinking beer in the hot tub, by then you'll feel Raglan and say "Best day ever!"

Raglan is a feeling, there is a vibe, a special spirit

One week in prison

5th December
Waihau Bay

How Lena describes our current working place (prison):

1. problem: Toilet flush isn't working. The water has to get out of a tank with a huge canister.
2. problem: Pum of the tank isn't working.
3. problem: Cold shower (if we have water, see problem no. 2).
4. problem: No power.
5. problem: No phone signal (doesn't matter because no power).
6. problem: We shouldn't work for Indians. Bhalla (our boss) is an Indian.
7. problem: Kitchen is in the bedroom of the Indians -> no coffee in the morning.
8. problem: Not enough food. .Supermarket is two hours away.
9. problem: We're working 10 hours a day, the supermarket closed already when we're off.
10. problem: We have no alcohol.

kiwi thinning

In the meantime I'm finally back in Raglan and have my beloved life back.

When I almost died

3rd December 2016
Waihau Bay

When I´ve got the message "happy first advent" I was totally shocked. Already December! I don´t have any xmas feelings and to be honest, this is one of the best feeling ever. The most of you know that I don´t like xmas. But this year is going to be amazing.

Together with Flora, a friend of Lena, and Sam, a friend on mine from Raglan, I left Raglan. After we arrived in Tauranga/Mt. Maunganui we just looked to each other and said: "We should turn around and drive back to Raglan!" But we´re all open minded people so we stayed for one one night and climbed to the Mt. Maunganui on the next day.

 

The view was really nice but to be honest, this shouldn´t be on your "New-Zealand-to-do-list". Maybe you just shouldn´t come directly from Raglan ;-)

It was really weird beeing in a "real" city, having christmas decoration and christmas songs everywhere. 

Girls Roadtrip!

Because Sam had to work on Wednesday he hitchhiked back, Lena came to us after her Roadtrip with Austin and we left Tauranga as soon as possible.

In Rotorua we spent one night and one powerful day. We visited the Okere Falls. There is a really nice bush walk with some waterfalls. Anytime it´s so damn impressive when you are on a street and one minute later there are just trees and rivers around you. It always feels like you are in the jungle.

Just when we came to the last waterfall I discovered this rope, hanging from a tree next to the waterfall to jump in this crazy water. Immediately I knew that I want to jump in this water. It tooks some minutes but finally I could sway Lena to jump with me. Although the circumstances were not the best (no bikini, no towel, stones?, cold) we ignored the danger sign, which underwater current is mentioned. Why should there be this rope if it´s not possible to jump? 

Checking out if it´s possible to grab the rope

Therefore I dared at first. I emerged already to close to the rock and struggled some seconds under water. It was the most scary moment in my life, when I was approximately one metre under water and looked through the crystal clear green water, up to the sky and had no idea how I should get to the surface. I emerged a lot of times before I disappeared again and again. Likewise for Lena it was frightened and she felt very helpless because she couldn´t do anything. At the end it sounds more horrible as it was and nevertheless it was a lot of fun but believe me: I will never jump again in a water, where nobody jumps directly before me. Especially not when there is a danger sign. 

 

You could think this is enough for one day but we had more plans. We drove to the Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland which is woth every cents (32,50$). It looks so insane that you ever have to remind yourself that this is natural and not artificial. Spectacular and absolutely breathtaking!

 

As if this is not enough for one day I made a call and got a fruit thinning job for us three. But this is not the best! I applied one day ago at a woofing spot in Raglan from the 15th to 22nd December just for some private gardening works and got the confirmation this morning. I´ll be back in Raglan in only two weeks! I probably was the happiest and most blessed person ever on this crazy day!