Raglan, New Zealand

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Raglan is a small beachside town located 48 km west of Hamilton, New Zealand on State Highway 23. According to the 2006 New Zealand Census the population of Raglan was 2,637. The Raglan area has been inhabited for at least 800 years and was originally known by Maori as Whangaroa "the long pursuit". To avoid confusion with another place of the same name, Whaingaroa was later adopted to avoid confusion. The current name of Raglan was adopted in 1858 in honour of Fitzroy Somerset, 1st Lord Raglan, who was the commander of British forces in the Crimean War at the time. The first Europeans to settle in the area were the Rev James and Mary Wallis who were Wesleyan Missionaries that local Maori embraced and welcomed in 1835. European settlement including large scale conversion of land to pasture commenced in earnest almost 20 years after the mission in the mid 1850's after a large sale of land by Chief Wiremu Neera Te Awaitaia.