Our Endless Summer - Raglan

Have you ever seen The Endless Summer, arguably the most influential surf movie ever made? No? You should, it’s awesome. Anyway, this 1966 classic follows two surfers on their quest for perfect waves in a season jumping jaunt around the world. One of their most impressive stops is the little known (at the time) break at Raglan, on the west coast of the North Island, New Zealand. The movie catalogues the insanely consistent break with a peeling left that stretches over 100 meters. For you landlubbers, that’s a looong wave. I was obviously stoked to surf “the best left in the world.” However, when we finally got to Raglan – which was a few hundred km out of our way to Wellington – I was greeted with an ocean as flat and smooth as glass. Seriously, no waves at all. Anger. Disappointment. Waste of gas money? What happened to everything magically working out for us without any planning? How is it possible that one of the most reliable waves in the world pooped out on the one day I came to shred it? That’s right – I said “shred.” Meh. It happens. I guess the summer had to end sometime. It just stinks that it ended when I came to see it. Maybe next time I head up to Raglan I’ll even...oh, I dunno...check the surf report.
The drive to Raglan wasn't a total waste - here are some pics from the beautiful Waikato region. This photo album requires Flash. If your device does not support Flash, you can view the web album on Picasa.