Glory!

Hi All,

Sometimes one good wave can make a whole session of surf worthwhile. And sometimes, a good day of surf can make a whole month of waiting worthwhile too.

After a disappointing week when an internet-forecast swell failed to materialize (and right after a weekend hostel-load of surfers left), the points came up with the kind of perfect waves that make Raglan famous. My estimate of the size was six to ten feet… some perhaps a bit bigger. I got in the water about 7:30 and surfed for a few hours (safely!). It was heavenly. There were only a handful of surfers (whereas the mediocre waves of the previous days had been mobbed), and the sets just didn’t stop. Waves rolled through in sets of eight or ten (why? California waves usually come in groups of three). The winds were perfect all day. The waves were formed as long walls, as you can see. Looking at the top photo, the ride starts in the extreme left, by the furthest rocky point, and continues well out of the frame to the right. A typical ride would last perhaps thirty to forty-five seconds (counting slowly). The speed you would generate was incredible.




Sitting on the warm black rocks afterward, the repetitious effect of the nearly identical waves spiraling towards us was surreal, hypnotic.

These photos were taken by a friendly German surfer named Florian (and slightly "corrected" for exposure and level-ness by me). Thank you! Special note to Keith- clicking on the image will blow the photo up to full screen plus.

The next day the crowds came back. The surf had dropped- nearly flat! In typical New Zealand style, an extreme change.

I have made my own change. I've decided to leave Raglan. I'll make one more blog entry while I'm here- a story with a happy ending, hopefully. I'll find out tomorrow night...