New Zealand - Raglan - Raglan Area School - Form 4 - 1983 Do you have more information about the school or the people in this photo? Please use the comment section below to share. To search for other photos from this school, please type the schools name in to our search engine. Raglan Area School - Raglan Area School is a co-educational state composite school covering years 1 to 13 - There have been schools at Raglan since 1866. The current school opened as Raglan District High School in 1937 Raglan - Raglan is a small beachside town located 48 km west of Hamilton. - It is known for its surfing, and volcanic black sand beaches. - The area has been inhabited for at least 800 years and was originally known by the Māori people as Whaingaroa ("the long pursuit"). The name Raglan was adopted in 1858 in honour of Fitzroy Somerset, 1st Lord Raglan, who had been the commander of British forces in the Crimean War shortly before. - The first Europeans to settle in the area were the Rev James and Mary Wallis, Wesleyan Missionaries who were embraced and welcomed by local Māori in 1835. European settlement, including large scale conversion of land to pasture, began in the mid-1850s after a large sale of land by Chief Wiremu Neera Te Awaitaia. (source - Wikipedia)