In 1973 Don Wilson opened the first surf shop in Raglan, called Wilson Surfboards. The evolution of surf in Raglan does not surprise Don. “After Endless Summer, we all knew Raglan was going to be famous.” Raglan is now home to a buzzing community of shapers. A collective, ran out of mini factories, garages and backyards. Independently dependent on one thing, the surf.
Piecing together the puzzle of Raglan’s surf history uncovered names and stories that some thought were all but lost. Each week of searching brought on new names and new adventures, some added to the story, some it a new twist. As the stories unravelled we had to backtrack and give credit where credit was due–this one involves the historic day that Manu Bay, “The Point”, was first surfed.
Butch Walters is the first name engraved on the Men's Junior's Point Board Riders trophy, which he won back in 1964. As of the summer of 2015, he could still be seen in the water at Manu Bay, riding his longboard. When we sat down with him, not only did he share his story and fond memories of surfing in Raglan, he pulled out boxes of slides, old photos of Raglan Town, Ngarunui Beach and of course surfing at Manu Bay.
Raglan has a rich local history of surfing. From soulful characters to defining moments, we set out to highlight and uncover a big part of Raglan’s surfing history that some may not know about. The Originals have been surfing the points since the late ’50s.
Surf Into Summer – Shining a light on the past, present and future of surfing in Raglan. Celebrating the unsung heroes of the iconic surfing lifestyle in our town, as well as the various efforts being headed by locals within our community who are striving to keep our waters healthy and safe.
We’re pulling out the archives and bringing Raglan’s surfing history to the surface once again. Rediscovering ‘the beginning’ of surfing our infamous left-hand breaks.
