Whāingaroa or Raglan is nestled in the foothills of Karioi maunga which gives rise to the proverbial saying,
“Ko Karioi te maunga; ko Whāingaroa te moana; ngunguru te pō, ngunguru te ao.”
This simply means ‘Karioi is the mountain, Whāingaroa is the harbour, rumbling by night and by day.’
These lands have been occupied for over a thousand years, from the arrival of the very earliest Māori settlers to these shores.
Two of the waka of those early ancestors have been depicted in the current mural on the water tower – the waka of Kupe named Matawhaorua, and the waka of Hoturoa named Tainui.
As their tūpuna did before them, descendants continue to reside in Whāingaroa and the surrounding district, and to maintain the ahi kā roa or long burning fires of occupation.
Today the mana whenua or tribal custodians of this area are Ngāti Māhanga Hourua, Tainui, Ngāti Tahinga and Ngāti Tamainupō.
Raglan’s tap water was judged the best tasting in New Zealand in 2018, and it’s no surprise when you get to the source of the town’s water. The pristine Waipatukahu or Riki Spring water emerges from the volcanic depths of Karioi and is filtered through ancient tertiary and volcanic rock layers.
The spring was originally part of the Rākaunui land block that was partitioned into two separate blocks in 1934. Rikiriki Wahanga, known to locals as Dick Riki, was the recipient of the block that included the spring, hence the name Riki Spring.
There’s some conjecture about how the Raglan County Council came to own the land 15 years later, with talk of pressure being applied to Rikiriki Wahanga.
In 1961, the water tower was built and water began flowing into the 1335 cubic meter reservoir and then through a 42 km network of pipes to supply the town.
Reliable drinking water is a taonga and Raglan has had its fair share of issues, including contaminated bores and drought-affected home tanks.
By the 1930s, some residents had their own bores but over half relied on tank water. There were other bores in town, including one behind the Harbour View Hotel and one on Rose Street but both were contaminated with either iron or ammoniacal nitrogen and chlorides. As early as 1927 the government was being asked for help with water and sewage, Ratepayers first petitioned the Raglan County Council in 1938 for a water and sewage supply but at that time the council considered the cost to high.
It wasn’t until 1949 when another sewage and water scheme was considered, but once again the council decided loan costs were too high. Despite pollution issues, the council put in a new pump at the Rose St bore, which was connected to the low areas of town and the camping ground. The Rose St bore was not able to pump enough to service the area, so a new bore was drilled at Warihi Park in 1959.
It was abandoned in 1962 due to problems with flow and gas in the water. In 1961, the council finally agreed to borrow the £62,000 for a pump to lift the Riki Spring water to tanks that would gravity-feed a newly-built concrete tank on Bow St.
By 1963, mains supply was still not connected and a four-week drought in October resulted in council carting water to fill empty tanks. By Christmas household tanks were being filled by long hoses connected to the half-finished mains. Finally, in July 1964, the first householders were invited to apply for mains supply.
In 1981, an additional reservoir was built in the Cornwall Rd quarry to cope with demand.
The WRDMO is keen to fill in gaps in the water tower’s history, if you have information or photos from the different periods, please email jacqueline@raglanihub.nz
The water tower on the corner of Norrie Ave and Bow St was a large blank canvas for over 20 years before former Raglan Community Arts Council (RCAC) chair Maurizio Sarsini initiated a project to paint the first mural.
An architect by trade, Maurizio designed, painted and funded the mural himself. That was back in the days before health and safety, and council consents.
He paid homage to Raglan in his design, with a stylised motif of Karioi, affectionately known as The Sleeping Lady, lying gracefully beneath a vibrant sunset. The cliffs of Te Toto gorge to the left of Karioi and Wairēinga/Bridal Veil Falls and the left-hand break Raglan is famous for on the right. The horse and rider would have come from Maurizio witnessing the many locals riding horses into town. A common occurrence back in the day, one clever horse was also known to get its rider back home safely after a night at the hotel.
Also depicted is legendary local saxophonist Clarry Cresswell who composed Raglan by the Sea.
Maurizio painted about two-thirds of the tower before some locals objected to the mural being part of their view.
By 1999, the old mural was much-faded and in need of repair and local artists Christian Higgins, Nick Puklowski and Pita Mataira embarked on a refresh of the weathered mural and added their own flourishes to the original work.
Nick added his family dog Tessa running alongside horse and rider. There were a few helpers along the way, including Marcus Hodkinson who painted himself as the surfer riding the wave.
Tagging later became a problem and Raglan artist Tracy Brechelt of Designs from the Back of the Fridge took on the job, staying as true to the 1999 mural as possible.
Generous donations by individuals, businesses and organisations allowed the fix-it-work to go ahead.
With each new refresh, artists added their own creative flair to the mural and the original design morphed slightly over time.
Led by the Whāingaroa Raglan Destination Management Organisation (WRDMO), the most recent mural project was completed in December 2024.
There are many gaps in the history of the various mural incarnations and the WRDMO is keen to gather as much local knowledge as possible for future generations.
If you have information or photos from the different time periods, please email jacqueline@raglanihub.nz
Spearheaded by the Whāingaroa Raglan Destination Management Organisation, this new mural portrays themes that are at the heart of the Raglan community.
Depicting aspects of Te Ao Māori, wai (ocean/water), maunga (mountain), and people and community, Theo Arraj’s mural was chosen from 17 artists from across the country.
There was overwhelming support for a fresh mural, and Theo’s design best incorporated the themes requested by the community.
A thorough process was undertaken for this mural project, including surveying the community and selecting a panel to represent our diverse township.
The panel weighed up criteria against the artists’ submissions, including the design concept, methodology, price, environmental impacts, and health and safety.
A self-taught artist, Theo forged his art career in the counter-culture of graffiti.
As a 17-year-old, he scored his first commissioned job painting a wall mural in a Kāpiti Coast bar.
In 2017, Theo was commissioned to do his first large-scale mural on a two-story building on the Kāpiti Coast, and since then he has been kept busy around the country working on murals of all sizes. His process begins with transferring the main elements of his design onto a series of grids. He then brings the mural to life using a combination of an airless paint sprayer, brush, roller and spray paint.
The mural has a protective coating which allows for the non-damaging removal of graffiti. The 240-square meter (44m circumference and 6.3m high) water reservoir on the corner of Norrie Ave and Bow St dominates the view for anyone arriving in Raglan via SH23.
