A Caboose With a View

Raglan is a surfer's town; none of us were surfers. The location was chosen for its proximity to the university we were attending and the affordability of the bus fare to get there.

Two friends and I were dropped in front of a driveway whose steep incline the bus driver had not dared attempt. It was, however, the only way to our hostel, the Solscape Accommodation Centre, so up we slogged. By the time we reached the crest of the hill, our calves burned and shoulders ached from the weight of our packs.

A small wooden building sat at the heart of the compound and served as the office and kitchen. The land around it boasted a communal picnic area and herb garden; a stone Buddha whose expression of peace I envied after our walk; and, to our left, a village of cabooses. These had been 'upcycled' into sleeping quarters, and one of them was ours for the night.

I will admit the 'up' part of the description was less accurate than the 'cycled' part. Ours had three small beds and a window which had been broken the night before and boarded up before our arrival. Whatever it lacked in space and style, however, it made up for in location. Below us, the hill, dotted with trees and fences, rolled down towards a cliff, beyond which the gray-blue ocean crashed with a distant hiss onto a black beach. One whole wall of the caboose rolled open to provide an unimpeded view of this landscape, and we spent most of the evening gazing out at it and chatting while eating our small dinner.

The next morning, we picked our way down a small path in the cliff-face, buffeted by the wind, until we reached the dark sand. In lieu of a lifeguard, there was a sign which declared the surf to be "Big 'n' Rough" and admonished "Don't eat the sand!" I have always enjoyed the Kiwis' common-sense approach to safety.

After paddling for a while in the frigid water, we went off in search of civilization and returned to Solscape that evening with beer, which we shared in our caboose with a fellow American, in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Outside, our lovely view lay hidden behind a curtain of rain. Although our shelter was humble, it was delightfully cozy, and that weekend is one of my fondest memories of my time in New Zealand.

Whether you find yourself in Raglan for the surfing or the view, Solscape, with its cabooses sitting incongruously in a beautiful, natural scene, is a peculiarly wonderful place to stay.

But please, don't eat the sand.