Reggae in Raglan

Last weekend Karen, Lucy and I went to Raglan for the launch of the Cornerstone Roots' new cd. Raglan is a seaside town on the west coast of the north island, about 2 hours drive from Rotorua. I'd never been there before, but my friend Lucy is always talking about how great it is so I was keen to see it. Turns out it's a lot like Margaret River used to be before it was all popular. It's a tiny place - just one short main street - but it's packed with nice cafes and crafty shops and the like. There's even a sushi bar! We stayed in the backpackers which I'd highly recommend. Raglan has the feel of a coastal town - you could hear the sea at night in bed. And it was great to walk along the coastal cliffs.

At the "beach"
Lucy cosy and warm

Karen with local Raglan Gold beer

I hadn't really heard anything about the Cornerstone Roots before except they were kiwi and played reggae music and, like Raglan, came highly recommended by Lucy! Their concert was really good though. Reggae is not necessarily my thing all the time but it is pretty popular in nz so I've been listening to a fair bit of it lately.

Me and Lucy at the concert

So, it was a lovely weekend. On the way home, Karen and I stopped off in Hamilton for a late lunch and almost managed to catch a rainbow!