Ruapuke
Encyclopedia
Ruapuke is a small farming community in the Waikato
region on the slopes of rocky mountains, between Raglan and Kawhia in New Zealand
. It comprises a handful of families, some of whom have lived there for many generations. The residents, predominantly sheep and cattle farmers, all traverse Ruapuke Road, a long dusty windy gravel road that begins in Te Mata and ends at Raglan. Ruapuke Road is often used for rally car competition and winds its way around the sloping wind exposed farmlands on Mt Kariori.
On a fine winter's day residents 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 coarse black sands of rugged Ruapuke beach which until recent times, (1990s), has remained a best kept secret known only to local residents and to a small elite group of keen surfing
and surfcasting fishing
enthusiasts. 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 Road Raglan, down a 45 klm drive through 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 Te Mata school.
Waikato
The Waikato Region is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupo District, and parts of Rotorua District...
region on the slopes of rocky mountains, between Raglan and Kawhia in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It comprises a handful of families, some of whom have lived there for many generations. The residents, predominantly sheep and cattle farmers, all traverse Ruapuke Road, a long dusty windy gravel road that begins in Te Mata and ends at Raglan. Ruapuke Road is often used for rally car competition and winds its way around the sloping wind exposed farmlands on Mt Kariori.
On a fine winter's day residents on the southern slopes of Mt. Kariori can look across Aotea Harbour
Aotea Harbour
Aotea Harbour is one of three large natural inlets in the Tasman Sea coast of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located between Raglan Harbour to the north and Kawhia Harbour to the south, 30 kilometres southwest of Hamilton....
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
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
west coast. There one discovers the coarse black sands of rugged Ruapuke beach which until recent times, (1990s), has remained a best kept secret known only to local residents and to a small elite group of keen surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
and surfcasting fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
enthusiasts. International surfing competitions such as the Billabong (clothing)
Billabong (clothing)
Billabong International is a clothing company traded on the Australian Securities Exchange since 11 August 2000. Billabong was founded in 1973 by Gordon and Rena Merchant....
Pro and the Rip Curl
Rip Curl
Rip Curl is a major Australian manufacturer and retailer of surfing sportswear The company was founded in 1969 by Doug Warbrick and Brian Singer in Torquay, Victoria, Australia and initially produced surfboards. In 1970, they decided to begin production of wetsuits, with emphasis on transforming...
Pro are now held at Ruapuke beach, providing conditions oblige.
Ruapuke can be reached through Whaanga Road Raglan, down a 45 klm drive through 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 Te Mata school.