My first post on this blog in December 2013 was about Raglan and we are back here, staying in our friends’ lovely bach on the Raglan harbour. This is the view from the front deck. I can’t really express how wonderful it is to be here. The harbour with its ever-changing hues and water levels as the tide ebbs and flows, the sea birds flying past the windows of our upstairs bedroom, the clouds casting their shadows over the green hills and contrasting with patches of bright sunshine that glisten on the water – one never tires of it. We’ve been over to the beaches every day in rain and/or sunshine – Jim goes into the surf and I take long walks along the coast, stopping to watch a tui using his clicks, squawks and trills to call his mate or a pair of wood pigeons foraging along a high bough. We’ve had the best of coffees at the Shack (a cafe in town) and sipped New Zealand sauvignon blanc while waiting for our lamb chops to barbecue. We’ve joined friends for dinner in their bach and gone over to the wharf to buy fish and chips. It will be hard to leave but so good to have spent some time in this magical place.