The Lion's Roar, Piha Beach

Piha Beach is a beautiful surfing and vacation town located on the Tasman Sea, just 45 minutes west of Auckland. The drive in was along a road that winds its way down from 500 hundred meters above the sea level, giving spectacular views all the while of the gorgeous black sand beach.  In the middle of the beach sits the iconic Lion Rock, a giant volcanic rock formation that resembles a lying male lion when viewed from the South.  Hmm, looks more like Jabba the Hutt at this angle...

We camped at the Piha Beach Holiday Park, a cool campground just a short walk over a river and through the dunes to the beach.  The park had a number what appeared to be permanent campers/trailers, which we assumed were the equivalent of Kiwi vacation homes. After setting up our tents (which we had down to a science by this point) we hiked out at low tide along the main beach to  “The Gap”.  This is a gap (aptly named huh) in the rock formations, where water crashes directly onto rocks and small cliffs, creating small tide pools, caves, and a symphony of sound. This first pic is from the beach looking toward the gap.

 Here is a pic from within the gap where the ocean was slamming into the rocks.

And here is a picture of Jen standing in from of one of the many caves that connect the ocean to the Gap.  This was also the access point for surfers to get to the best waves on the main beach!  Piha is known for its rip tides and is the location for a kiwi reality TV show about surf and rescue.

Realizing time was growing short, we panicked a bit and hightailed it back through the pinch spot to the main beach before the incoming tide blocked our access back, and then spent the evening appreciating the gorgeous sunset and watching the surfers catch waves. This was our first of many experiences that could only be accessed at low tide. Look at lovely Lindsay leaping...

The next morning all except Pete (who was sidelined by a migraine) hiked the trail that leads almost to the top of Lion Rock for some gorgeous views of the beach. The top of the trail is blocked off for safety (as people have fallen to their death). The name Te Piha is Maori word which refers to the patterns of waves separating and breaking on the front of the rock, as on the prow of a canoe.

After packing up we drove inland about a mile and hiked to the Kitekite Waterfall, yet another local attraction we read about in "NZ Frenzy".  It was a fairly easy 45 minute tramp to a scenic 3-tiered waterfall that cascaded 100 feet down into a pool large enough for swimming. Two kiwi teen boys were laughing and playing in the water the entire time we were there. Brrr!

We hope to visit Piha Beach again during the summer so we can actually get in the water!