Cliff Top to Beach Walk – Raglan

12 km • 3 hours • Easy Loop Walk • Excellent loop walk from the clifftop to the beach with fantastic beach views along the way.

18 January 2022
Walked by: Sandra from Freewalks

Home » North Island » Waikato Region » Raglan » Cliff Top to Beach Walk – Raglan

Awesome short easy walk in Raglan from the cliff top to the beach with great views along the way.

Go to the foot of Raglan’s main street (Bow St) and follow the path left around the harbour. Cross the footbridge then turn right along the beach and continue about 5km to the changing rooms at the foot of the cliff.

Take the tar sealed track up the hill until almost at the surf club. Go up the steps to the right then cross a road, climb more steps to the sculptures and follow the edge of the cliff to a car park.

Cross the stile and continue ahead, parallel with the coast. Follow the signs and stiles to the trig point then cross another stile into a pine forest and down the hill to a sign to the left. Continue down the hill then cross a valley and keep to the top edge of the pine forest.

A gate on the left leads to a headland, take the path to the right down the hill to a stile, don’t cross the stile, but continue down the hill to reach the beach again.

Turn right and retrace the beach route back to Raglan. For a map of Wainui Reserve tracks click here.

Quick Facts about this walk

Location: Raglan, North Island, New Zealand
Time needed: 3 hours
Distance: 12 km return
Difficulty: Easy
Bikes allowed: Yes
Route: Loop
Elevation: 81m
Wet Feet: Not at high tide
Toilets: Yes, at Rangipu and Ngarunui Beach
Dogs: Yes
Mobile Coverage: Yes
Last Updated: Jan 2022 by Raglan Ramblers

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Summary points about this walk

Walk Highlights

Beach and views along the walk.

Track Quality

This track in parts can be muddy and slippery in wet weather.

Hazards

Avoid high tides

Transport to the start of this walk

Bus 23 runs from Hamilton to Bow St daily and in mid-summer and at weekends from Labour Day to Easter runs to Manu Bay. The walk can be almost halved by taking a Manu Bay bus to the Bible Camp and walking down the track from there to the beach. It's also possible to boulder hop at low tide from Manu Bay, past the Tattooed Rock (at the top of the beach about half way to the changing rooms) to the changing rooms and the walk as above.

Link to bus 23 from Hamilton to Bow St.

Water

Drinking water is available at the start of the walk.

Driving Instructions

SH23 to Raglan CBD

Shops & Restaurants Nearby

There are plenty of great cafes and restaurants in Raglan to choose from.

Area & Trail History

Whāingaroa existed long before a settler village was renamed Raglan in 1858. Some of the buildings in Bow St date from the 1900s. The walkway to the footbridge was cut out of the cliff in 1915/16. A footbridge replaced a ferry in 1929 and has since been replaced in 1963 and 2011. The 1942 Type 22 pillbox is gradually sinking into the sand. It and another box further along the beach, but now almost hidden by sand, were intended to protect gunners delaying a Japanese landing on the beach. A bit further along is the airfield, which was compulsorily purchased in 1941 and featured in Māori land rights protests from the 1970s until the return of part of it in 1990. Wainui Reserve was formerly a Pilot Reserve. In 1883 it was expected Raglan would become a major port. The marker boards near the pillbox were put up and the Reserve was set aside to house a Pilot Station, able to look out for ships approaching and guide them into the port. However, poor links to the rest of Waikato and a difficult sand bar stopped the port developing. As it was no longer needed for pilots, WDC sold the reserve for housing in 1990. A few months later local protest and assistance from Councillor Michael Hope (a lookout on the Reserve is named in his memory) caused 140 hectares of the Reserve to be repurchased as a recreation reserve. In 1996 road access across the Reserve opened the beach to many more visitors. The first tourists had drowned in the dangerous rips in 1922 and a Surf Lifeguard Patrol started in 1972 and moved to its current building in 2002. The sculptures at the top of the hill represent north, south, east and west. They were carved in 2002 to provide opportunities for unemployed people. Tai Meuli has since gone on to become a well known stone carver.