This was my effort to document my first year living in paradise. Raglan is a small town situated on the West Coast of the North Island in New Zealand. I arrived here in 2015 without knowing anything about it and I started recording spontaneous scenes. Sometimes using my smartphone, too. I used to edit in the van I was living in. My partner and I, Max, continued on our route, when, after 6 months, we decided that Raglan, originally named Whaingaroa, would be our hometown.
But to be close to that community we needed to know as much as we could about it. Raglan is not only a surf spot, as the place is not just about surfing. Raglan is a paradise. Its soul and community are what makes it so special. It isn’t always easy to be accepted, as happens in many other places around the world. But once you’re in, you’re in. It has been built with the effort of generations of people that put much love and an infinite amount of pride into the place. This film is to document my last year in Whaingaroa. A tiny piece of a place with a big soul.