Ruapuke

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For the island in southern New Zealand, see Ruapuke Island

Ruapuke is found in the Raglan region on the slopes of rocky mountains, between Raglan and Kawhia. Ruapuke is made up of a small farming community in New Zealand, and comprises of a handful of families some of whom have lived there for many generations. The residents, predominantly sheep and cattle farmers, all traverse Ruapuke Rd. This long dusty gravel road which begins driving you hard in Te Mata and ends in Raglan, now often used for Rally car competition, winds it's way around the slopping wind exposed farmlands on Mt Kariori.

On a fine winters day residence on the southern slopes of Mt. Kariori can look across Aotea Harbour at hundreds of miles of rugged, uninhabited and pristine coastline, at where the snow capped peak of Mt. Taranaki dominantly protrudes high over the horizon.

This isolated Ruapuke farming district, slopes obtrusively away from the East where it falls towards the sea to the open coastline of New Zealand's North Island west coast. There one discovers the black sands of rugged Ruapuke beach which until recent times (1990's) has remained the best kept secrete known only to locals and to a small elite group of keen local surfing enthusiasts from Raglan. Unless one possessed local knowledge, one could not find the secluded access threw to the most pristine beach imaginable. The resident surfing community knew that if Raglan's Manu Bay's surf break was flat, then Ruapuke was sure to be pumping big-time! This inside information then reserved for the local folks. Now that the cat has been let out of the bag, international surfing competitions such as the Billabong (clothing) Pro and the Rip Curl Pro are now held at Ruapuke beach, providing conditions oblige.

Ruapuke can be reached through Whaanga Rd Raglan, down a 45 klm drive threw winding mountainous terrain, small gorges, dust and gravel. One can also reach Ruapuke from the eastern side of Mt Kariori by taking the Ruapuke Rd turn off just before the TeMata school.