It’s about 7:15, just got back from a run, a hot Flat White by my side (Latte without a lot of foam). Perched up here on the second floor veranda of the Bayview Hotel I can see all there is to see of Raglan, a sleepy little beach town, popularized in the 1964 movie Endless Summer, because of its unique left hand breaking surf.
We chose this stop because it broke up a rather long day of driving from New Plymouth to the Northlands, above Auckland.
This little Bohemian community of black volcanic sand is a little bit Key West, A little Bit Main Street Newark, a little bit South Street Philly, you get the idea. Huge Phoenix palms define the main avenue, I can’t tell you what the name of the street is, as there seems to be a finite number of street signs in this country and I haven’t yet figured out which ones get the honor of being signed. I said it was a sleepy town that is until it was time to sleep. Across from the hotel is Aqua Velvet, at this moment a breakfast stop, but last night the music venue for the region. Two bands made it unnecessary to leave the lower porch,which served as the pub and restaurant, to hear to hear their performance. However the breaks were actually much more interesting than the music.
It seems that over here during the break, the bands come outside and participate in what appears to be team-building exercises with the roadies. Imagine Iggy Pop tied to Bob Seeger in a three-legged race down the aforementioned palm lined green. I didn’t say this was good entertainment, but it was entertaining. We have also determined that young intoxicated Aussie lads laugh like a pack of bleating sheep, during the courtship ritual.
All right, coffees down, Wilson’s up, time to leave Raglan for the next stop, the Northlands.
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