My Weekend At Raglan Surf School

Last weekend I went with all the other interns to Raglan for our first ever surfing lesson. This is what a weekend at Raglan Surf School is all about.

The Stray Bus picked us up at 9.30am to go first to some hot pools, the Bridal Veil Falls and then off to the Raglan Surf School.

School's in at Raglan Surf School
School’s in at Raglan Surf School

Weekend in Raglan

We stayed at the Raglan Surf School for the weekend. It is an awesome place to stay! The accommodation has a big lounge with a kitchen, cosy rooms, and sauna, all surrounded by beautiful nature.

After unpacking our bags we took a short shower before we went to the barbeque where they made some delicious burgers and sausages for us. Afterwards, we went by bus to the bar.

Everyone had an awesome night in the bar. Good music, dancing and a few drinks: that is all you need for a good night out.

We started the day with a good breakfast and then we went of to Raglan’s town centre for some shopping and lunch. Around 1pm it was our time to go to the beach for the first surfing lesson.

When we arrived we had to wait on the beach till the first group was finished.

Having fun at Raglan Surf School
Having fun at Raglan Surf School

Introduction to surfing

Then it was our time to give it a try. After putting on the wetsuit, There was an introduction to surfing from the instructor, a little practice on the board and then off into the water to catch the waves. It sounds so easy but in reality, it is pretty hard to stand on the board if you haven’t done it before.

Luckily I got a little help from the instructor and I could stand on the board! It was hard to make it to the beach but I was halfway there ready to try it again. After a while, I became a little bit better in it and sometimes I could make it to the beach. It is a great feeling when you are catching the waves with the beautiful weather.

The weekend was awesome! And I think that most of us fell in love with surfing. We definitely want to go there again. All the instructors were very kind and helped us a lot. Who knows, maybe we will go again next weekend?

This post was originally written in 2013 and the Raglan Surf School is not included in the current Stray Tours of New Zealand. Check out all our current itineraries and activities here.

Dutch version: Epic Surf Weekend bij Raglan Surf School

Wauw wat een weekend! Het is hier zo gaaf in Nieuw-Zeeland. Afgelopen weekend zijn we met 75 stagiaires naar Raglan geweest om te surfen!

Om half 10 vertrok de Stray Bus naar de hotpools en de Bridal Veil Falls. Niet verkeerd toch? Om daarna door te gaan naar Raglan Surf School.

Na een heerlijke eerste dag kwamen we rond een uurtje of 4 aan bij de Surf School waar Charly ons al op stond te wachten. Snel een kamertje uitzoeken, een douchje pakken en aanschuiven bij de BBQ waarna we om 8 uur hop in de bus sprongen naar de bar.

Iedereen heeft zich deze avond prima vermaakt, wat dansjes, wat drankjes en een leuke bandje die speelde.

De volgende ochtend stond ons ontbijt klaar en konden we daarna de bus in om naar Raglan Beach te gaan voor onze eerste surfles.

Eenmaal aangekomen moesten we nog even wachten op de eerste groep en daarna konden wij het water in. Bikini aan, wetsuit aan en op naar de surfboards. Nog een uitleg van Ryan, een van de begeleiders, en dan zijn we klaar om de golven tegemoet te gaan.

Gezellig met z'n allen leren surfen in Raglan
Gezellig met z’n allen leren surfen in Raglan

De zee had door het weer sterke golven en het kostte dan ook wat moeite om het water in te komen zonder terug geduwd te worden door de zee. ‘’Lucky me’’ ging ik natuurlijk het water in waar Ryan ook al stond en daar ging mijn eerste poging met hulp van Ryan. En ja ik stond op de plank! Nog niet helemaal tot aan het strand gekomen maar ik was aardig op weg. Met zelfvertrouwen op naar poging 2 maar helaas daar ging ik. De golf was veel te sterk, nou ja ik vergat eigenlijk te peddelen waardoor ik helemaal ondergblazen werd.

Weer een mooi leermomentje. Na een aantal pogingen kreeg ik de smaak te pakken en kon ik zelfs een paar keer tot aan het strand komen. Op het einde nog een paar keer met hulp van Ryan wat grotere golven kunnen pakken zonder te vallen.

Deze eerste introductie met surfen was meteen raak. Wat gaaf om te doen! Heerlijk weer, heerlijk water, de beste surfspot wat wil je nog meer? Ik ben verkocht wanneer gaan we weer volgend weekend?

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Intern @ Stray

Being an intern at Stray Travel is more than gaining work experience. You'll be actively participating in an iconic Kiwi brand. Stray is a travel company that likes to do things a little differently. And the same will go for your assignments as an intern. It'll be an action-packed ride. Check out the blog posts from our previous interns.

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Our Adventure Tours are here to supercharge your wanderlust and quench your thirst for the extraordinary. It'll be a journey that's cranked up to eleven - the launchpad for your epic adventure and lifelong friendships.

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