SURFING AROUND ORCAS IN RAGLAN

Sophia Wareham
Feb 4
5 min read

Updated: Jul 20

A short very sweet getaway to Raglan for surf, breaching orcas, unrivalled sunsets and learning what a rāhui is.

Today's journal entry is all about the first visit of 2025 to one of my favourite places in Aotearoa New Zealand: Raglan. But before we begin, a little disclaimer (or skip the next bit and get straight to Where: When: What).

As the name suggests, I'm mad about sports. I'm also a big fan of travelling. At some point I realised that I was travelling to certain places at certain times of the year for the purpose of doing certain sports. Mix that with being a creative *cue eye roll* taking a break from industry, I started craving a playful space to document my adventures, keep my skills in check, and keep people in the loop with goings on. So that's what this is, and it's evolving from here on out. The biggest plus would be if there's anything in what I share that gives you ideas or tips on where to go when and for what sport. That'd be RAD. Right, let's get into today's post...

Where: Raglan, Aotearoa / New Zealand

When: February / Summer

What: Surfing (Longboard / Shortboard)

Since my first visit to Raglan, about this time last year, I can't stay away. If the name rings a bell, chances are it's because it was put on the map in Bruce Brown's cult surfing documentary film, The Endless Summer (1966). Some sites might give you the impression that the best time of year to visit for surfing is between March and June, but honestly, it's consistent all year. If dreamy cruisey longboarding in a 2mm shorty suit, one piece or boardies in the summer is your jam, Raglan is a place you'll likely want to tick off if you're this way of the world. Saying that, it can also get BIG. One particular bay here is a world-renowned reserve and hosts surf comps which are incredible to watch. Personally, I've spent the last few days riding 2-4ft peelers in beautiful 28°C weather - heaps of fun with my 6'9 Anderson Fish; Pamela.

There's also been a quiet kind of magic about right now. Luckily for me, this surfaced the day I came back...

After a nearly four hour drive from the Coromandel, I was itching to park up and jump in the water. But when I arrived at one of my favourite spots, I was a little alarmed see it cordoned off with flags. Added to that, no-one was surfing and larger than normal groups of people were gathered on the ground. I had no idea what was going on: a competition? A protest? Something else? Later I learned that this was a rāhui, which Stuff NZ and Greenpeace describe as a tikanga (customary practise) that prohibits access to an area, either on water, land or resources. After a while, flags were lifted and someone with a speakerphone invited people back into the water. I still wasn't sure what prompted it, then a clue came about at 19:06pm.

Standing on the beach top further around the bay, I was umming an ahhing whether or not to head in for a dip. The rāhui was over, but ever since someone told me it's best to avoid surfing around sunrise or sunset when marine life is more actively hunting, I can hesitate. That's when I saw what the fuss might've been about:

a huge orca jumped right out of the water!

I've never seen an orca breach before, let alone see one that size, at golden hour. It was mesmerising. A few minutes passed, and with it telltale signs of pod began to show. What felt surreal was how the surfers and swimmers nearby seemed totally unaware of the four or five orcas near them - no-one reacted or rushed to get out (or in).

The next day whilst sitting in the line-up, I got chatting with a small crew who said that a few days earlier they noticed orcas were in the water maybe fifty metres away. They added that there were a few people surfing at the time and amazingly no-one panicked - mostly because a couple of calm heads just pointed the fins out, kept everyone steady and framed it for what it was: a rare gift.

Thinking back to the rāhui, maybe it had something to do with giving the orcas their space. This has been a talking point lately. Then again, it could have been about something else - perhaps safety? Crowded line-ups and the rise of "party waves" can be a bit chaotic. For anyone new to surfing, there's kind of a code to follow to keep everyone safe and have fun. Across Aotearoa New Zealand, there are some really helpful information boards dotted around surf spots to remind people of some surfing etiquette basics, including how to tell who has right of way (or right of wave). I don't remember seeing much of that back in the UK, and honestly think it's pretty cool, so I added a photo of one at bottom of this post. If you're curious about this kind of thing, or know someone who might be, there's heaps of free information about surfing etiquette on sites like Surfline or OMBE Surf too.

On a related note, it's a bit of a thing not to give away the exact location of surf spots. Why? It's a courtesy thing to help keep locals' favourite breaks from being overrun while still sharing the stoke. That's why I'll mention a region in my posts or talk about well-known area, but try to keep it general.

If you do visit Raglan, there are also a few gems to discover in this fantastic little town. Think great coffee, tasty food, drinks with a view, surf shops and boutiques. There are also other outdoor adventure sports to be tried, often run by local companies who organise trips. Maybe the next time I'm here, I'll have managed to squeeze in one of these, especially if the surf's blown out!

The sunsets happen to be stunning, too.

Summer here is beautiful. I'm told it drops off at winter and becomes sleepy as well as cooler - but maybe, just maybe, I'll have to discover this for myself. In the meantime, the sun's starting to shine again, and I hear it's pumping...

That’s a wrap on today's Sports Nut Soph blog entry, cheers heaps for stopping by. If you feel like getting social, or you're just plain curious to see a few behind-the-scenes of what I'm up to on the journeys, follow @sportsnutsoph on Instagram. You can also subscribe to my newsletter for upcoming trip itineraries, tips on where to go when for what and other exciting info... like my shop *COMING SOON* .

Until next time, ciao for now, Soph.