Raglan, New Zealand


Raglan is a small beachside town located 48 km west of Hamilton, New Zealand on State Highway 23. It is known for its surfing, and volcanic black sand beaches.

History

The Ngāti Māhanga iwi occupied the area around Raglan in the late 18th century. There are at least 81 archaeological sites in the area, mainly near the coast. Limited radiocarbon dating puts the earliest sites at about 1400AD. The Māori people named the site Whaingaroa. One tradition says that Tainui priest, Rakataura, crossed Whāingaroa on his way to Kāwhia. Another says it was among the places the early Te Arawa explorer, Kahumatamomoe, with his nephew Īhenga, visited on their expedition from Maketū.
The first Europeans to settle in the area, the Rev James and Mary Wallis, Wesleyan missionaries, were embraced and welcomed by local Māori in 1835. European settlement, including large scale conversion of land to pasture, began in the mid-1850s after a large sale of land by Chief Wiremu Neera Te Awaitaia.
The name "Raglan", adopted in 1858, honours Fitzroy Somerset, 1st Lord Raglan, who had commanded the British forces in the Crimean War of 1853–1856.
The Raglan economy initially featured flax and timber exports, followed by farming which remains the mainstay of the area. Tourism and the arts are also significant contributors to the current economy. Raglan and District Museum contains historic artefacts and archives from the region. A new museum building was built in 2011.
The town became the scene of public civil disobedience campaigns in the 1970s. During World War II, the New Zealand Government took local ancestral land from indigenous Māori owners to construct a military airfield. When no longer required for defence purposes, part of the land, a block, was not returned to the owners but instead became the public Raglan golf-course.
There ensued widespread protest and attempts to reoccupy the land; in 1978, 20 Māori protesters were arrested on the ninth hole of the golf course. The land was eventually returned to the owners. It became a focus for local job-training and employment programs, as well as for the Māori sovereignty movement.

Demographics

In 1859 the local magistrate, F. D. Fenton, reported the population of Whaingaroa as 424. That was the number shown in the 1858 census for the Ngāti Mahanga population of Raglan. That accords with Ferdinand von Hochstetter's account of his 1859 tour, when he said that the Māori population was estimated at 400 and said that he had been told there were 122 Europeans, including 20 farmer-families. Hochstetter said there were six or eight houses, with a tavern and a store in Raglan and a Māori village and an old pā at Horea on the north shore. Many of the Europeans were evacuated in 1860 and again in 1863, when war threatened and it was said 95 inhabitants remained.
After that, as the graph below shows, Raglan's population recovered slowly until the main road from Hamilton was completelymetalled in 1921 and then grew again after completion of tar-sealing in 1961.
The population of the Raglan ward was 4680 in 2006. It had increased to 4920 in 2013.

The figures and sources are:
187868
188170
188656
189183
1896137
1901114
1906154
1911246
1916217
1921302
1931350
1937380
19511,080
19611,019
19711,058
19811,414
19912,316
19962,634
20012,667
20062,637
20132,736
20183,279

Raglan area unit had the census figures shown in the table above. Growth by about 500 households is expected by 2045. According to the 2013 census, there were 477 unoccupied dwellings and 1,173 occupied, 11.9% spoke Māori, 20.1% were born overseas, 57.2% owned the house they lived in, and 71.3% had Internet access.
Property prices have risen sharply since 2000, for example by 49.6% from 2014 to 2017. That coincides with a decline in the Māori proportion of the population -
2006 2013 2018
European72.680.982.9
Māori29.727.326.5
Pacific peoples3.12.92.9
Asian1.12.42.5
Middle Eastern/Latin American/African0.20.71.6
Other ethnicity8.81.31.2

By 2018 there were 6 fewer unoccupied private dwellings at 471, but those occupied had increased to 1,275.
YearAverage ageHouseholdsAverage incomeNational average
200137.41056$14,200$18,500
200637.81068$18,900$24,100
201339.71143$24,900$27,900
201839.61275$27,200$31,800

Employment and commuting increased between 2006 and 2013, as shown in this table. 23.1% held a degree, unemployment was 6.9%, the largest category of workers was 'professionals' and the largest work-category 'accommodation and food services', employing 180.
Commuting typeTotals, 2006Totals, 2013
Live and work in area unit432504
Commute out 402519
Commute in 177282
Total people working in area unit609786

Marae

Raglan has three marae, affiliated with hapū of Waikato Tainui:
Raglan is associated with Whaingaroa Harbour on the west coast of the Waikato region in New Zealand's North Island. The harbour catchment extends as far north as Glen Afton, covers 525 km2 and the harbour covers 35 km2 and has, or, of coastline. It runs 12 km inland from the entrance, for the most part is less than 2 km wide, has a high-tide area of, a low-tide area of, 2–4 m tidal range, with a spring-tide range of 2.8 m and neap 1.8 m, spring tide flow around 46 x 106 m3 and neap 29 x 106 m3. A 2005 survey said on average water stays in the harbour 1.1 days at spring-tides, but a 2015 study showed a median residence time for whole estuary of 39.4 days with median river flows, ranging between 18 and 45 days. It is the northernmost of three large inlets in the Waikato coast. 15 significant rivers and streams run into the harbour, including the largest, Waingaro and Waitetuna, accounting for 60% of catchment area, and the smaller Opotoru and Tawatahi rivers. Total length of the streams is.
A study for Regional Council said, "Whaingaroa Harbour began to fill with sediment at least 8000 years before present and before the sea had reached its present level 6500 years B.P. Rapid sedimentation in the harbour before 6500 years B.P. is attributed to the formation of now relict intertidal shore platforms up to 700-m wide and ≤10 m below present-day mean high water level. These coastal landforms were rapidly formed 8000-6500 years B.P. by physical weathering of soft mudstone cliffs and wave action. Consequently, all but the upper two metres of the present day sediment column was deposited before 6000 years B.P. and thousands of years before the arrival of Maori some 700 years ago. Today, the harbour has largely infilled with catchment sediment up to ~8-m thick, with 70% of its high tide surface area being intertidal." It concluded that most sediment is now swept up to 20 km out to sea.
70% of the land in the harbour catchment is used for farming, 20% of it is under native vegetation, 14% under forestry, 7% mānuka/kānuka and 0.3% wetlands. 68% of land has slopes greater than 1 in 4.
Southwest of the township stands the extinct volcano of Mt Karioi. According to Māori legend the Karioi was a jilted Māori Princess who, upon discovering that love was lost, lay down and rests.
North of the harbour mouth there are extensive dunes and dune-dammed lakes. Like the beaches, the dunes are rich in ironsand and have been considered for mining several times. Threats of seabed mining following passage of the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004 resulted in formation of the opposition group KASM, based in Raglan.
The area is also home to the popular tourist destination, Bridal Veil Falls, which is located 20 kilometres southeast of the township and the unusual Lake Disappear 4 km further on.

Climate

Average annual rainfall at Raglan 1984–2004 was 1.354m a year. Average temperature and rainfall graphs show an average high of 24C in February and an average low of 8C in July. Raglan usually has no more than a degree of frost and then only for a few hours on occasional winter mornings.

Surf Breaks

Raglan is best known for its surf. Eight kilometres from the Raglan township is a series of surf breaks including Indicators, Whale Bay, Manu Bay, Vortex Bay. Manu Bay was featured in the 1966 movie The Endless Summer and in the 2010 movie Last Paradise. The traditional name for Manu Bay is 'Waikeri', meaning surging or swirling waters. The former native reserve was bought for a recreation reserve in 1971.
Indicators is a left hand point break that breaks for up to 600m, from 2 to 10 feet+. It is a long-walled, fast wave with occasional barrels, particularly on the low tide. It picks up a lot of swell and is very consistent. On big days the wave can link up with the next break called Whale Bay.
Whale Bay is a left hand point break that breaks up to 200m in length, from about 2 to 8 feet+. It has two sections, an inside hollow section up to about 4 feet that breaks very close to the rocks, and an outside, slower section from 4 feet up. It has been rumoured by locals to link up with the next break further down-Manu Point-but only on very large swells, making a potential ride of up to 2 km from the top of Indicators, which locals say has only been achieved once.
Manu Point is a left hand point break which works from 2 to 10 feet+, breaking over 300m. It has alternate hollow and wall sections, occasional barrels, and is usually about 2/3 the size of Indicators.
Vortex Bay is a soft peak east of the boat ramp that sometimes breaks on low tide when the swell is too large for the main three points.
There is also a beach break further down from Manu Point. Ruapuke is another beach break well to the west around the point.
Raglan has hosted a world championship surfing event at Manu Bay in 1998. Raglan is also home to New Zealand's first sanctioned surf school, the Raglan Surfing School which was established in 1999.

Arts

Visual artists hold regular exhibitions at the Raglan Old School Art Centre. Fabric artists show their creations in the biennial ArtoWear competition. There is also a Raglan Arts Trail Guide with an Open Studio Weekend in late January. For Matariki there are displays of Māori art. Local art is on display in the Show Off Gallery, Kanuka Design, Matapihi Gallery, local cafes and the Raglan Old School Arts Centre. The Arts Centre is in a 19th-century heritage building, the former Raglan School.

Markets

There is a regular market on the second Sunday of every month at the Raglan Old School Arts Centre in Stewart Street. This Raglan Creative Market specialises in local crafts, food and art.

Music

There's a live music scene in Raglan. The International Soundsplash Eco Reggae Festival ran yearly in summer on the Wainui Reserve, between 2001 and 2008 and more recently, and attracted some of the biggest names in roots, reggae and dub, as well as local acts.
The main venue in Raglan for live music is the Yot Club, a regular stop for NZ musicians on national tours. There is also live music at the Orca Restaurant and Bar, the Harbour View Hotel, the Raglan Club and The Old School. beside a boiler of a 1903, or 1904 flax mill
The Musicians' Club have open-mic nights at the Orca Restaurant and Bar on the first Thursday of each month.
The New Zealand reggae bands Cornerstone Roots and Zionhill were formed in Raglan.

Walking

Whaingaroa has a variety of walks, from an easy stroll over the footbridge to the more strenuous Mount Karioi tracks. Walking has been a popular activity here since at least 1915, when the guidebook said, "An hour's walk brings one to the harbour entrance and to the sea coast. Here there is a wide sandy beach with a background of bush-covered cliffs, and the picturesque Mount Karioi close at hand" and went on, "Many suitable landing places are to be found where parties may leave the launch for a ramble ashore or may picnic ‘neath the shade of the kowhai trees".

Cycling

Whaingaroa has no cycle lanes, but Te Ara Kākāriki Ocean Trails opened on 3 December 2016, providing about of mountain bike trails in a pine forest on Wainui Reserve. A to bike race, mainly on gravel roads around Mt Karioi, takes place each July. About from Raglan, Pipiwharauroa Way has of cycle/walking track, which links to a very difficult paper road to Waitetuna.

Environment

Whaingaroa has a high proportion of environmentalists, as evidenced by the existence of several high-profile environmental groups. The proportion of environmentalists in Raglan is indicated by the size of the Green Party vote, which was 28% in 2011 and rose to 30% in 2014. In 2017 it dropped to 20%, but the Labour vote rose from 18% to 40%, when Labour also highlighted environmental issues.
The environmentalism has been recognised in local government policy as, "passionate about the arts and protecting its environment".

Recycling

Recycling in Raglan is managed by a non-profit organization called Xtreme Zero Waste. Xtreme's stated goal is to create a waste management system for the Raglan/Whaingaroa community in which none of the waste is stored in landfills. The organization was founded in 2000, after Raglan's landfill closed and the town decided to find an alternative to transporting its waste elsewhere. Xtreme Waste has recycled an increasing volume and percentage of waste every year, and as of 2010, it diverts nearly three-quarters of the town's waste from reaching the landfill. It operates a recycling center, which is open to the public and offers group tours.
Actor Antonio Te Maioha, who lives in Raglan, has publicly spoken about his own involvement and Raglan's leadership in recycling. He mentioned that Raglan is one of the few towns in New Zealand with recycling bins in the main street, and describes how people he knew became involved in recycling because of Xtreme Waste's programs.

Water supply

Raglan's water supply comes from a well and the nearby Waipatukahu Spring between Te Hutewai Rd and Omahina Creek, about south of Raglan, where water which has sunk into the volcanic rocks, seeps along the contact with the Tertiary beds.
Water is chlorinated, pumped to a tank and distributed through about of pipes. Tanks at Bow St and Cornwall Rd, maintain pressure. Demand has been forecast at per day by 2034, based on a Waikato University population prediction assuming consumption of /person/day. However, in December 2015 use was averaging a day. The capacity of the spring is per day. Consent allows up to /day from the spring and /day from the well. Despite using less than half the consented water, water meters are planned to be installed and operational by 2017. When last rated Raglan's water got a poor 'Ed' rating, but work was done in 2014 to upgrade the quality.

History

The spring was long used as a source of fresh water. In 1862 a dam was built and it was used to power an waterwheel for a flaxmill. In the early 1950s the spring was again used to power a water-wheel, this time pumping water for use on the farm.
Several residents had bores drilled, but over half relied on tank water. A 2½ in. bore behind the Harbour View Hotel had /day rising to about below the surface, though rather hard and tinged with iron. Of its the first 50 ft. was in clay, 4 ft. in hard blue shingle tightly packed with a minimum of sandy matrix and 106 ft in papa. The deep, 3 in. bore for the dairy factory, 70 ft. above sea-level in Rose St, was polluted with ammoniacal nitrogen and chlorides too were high.
As early as 1927 the government was being asked for help with water and sewage. In 1938, ratepayers petitioned the council for a water supply and in 1938 DSIR reported on Waipatukahu Spring where, "Beautifully clear water rises in a pool perhaps 6 ft. across on the floor of Omahina Creek at a point some up from the south end of the tidal flat and a few chains above sea-level" and flow had been measured at /day, close to the 4,800 mentioned above.
In 1938 the Council said the annual cost of a loan would be £700 for an estimated total cost of £10,000. Another sewage and water scheme was considered in 1949, but still the cost of a loan was too high. Despite pollution, the Rose St bore was connected to the low areas of town and the camping ground. Council put in a new pump, but it could only pump /day, so in the 1959 a bore was drilled at Warihi Park, but abandoned in 1962 due to problems with flow and gas in the water. A 1959 £100,000 estimate for Riki springs supply was still considered too expensive.
Finally, in 1961 Council got a £62,000 loan to bring water from Riki Springs, for a pump to lift water up the hill to tanks, from where it ran by gravity to the top of Bow St.
In October 1963, 4 weeks of dry weather resulted in council carting water to fill empty tanks. By Christmas 1963 household tanks were being filled by long hoses connected to the half-finished mains. On 8 July 1964, the first householders were invited to apply for a supply. There were problems with Christmas peak supplies and an upgrade was installed in 1972. In 1981 an extra reservoir was built in Cornwall Rd quarry.
In the late 1980s, the Community Arts Council got a mural painted on the water tower. It was restored in 2015.

Notable people

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