Piha beach was one of the first coastal areas I visited in New Zealand. It is a winding but specular drive from Auckland and well worth the visit. The focal point of the beach is Lion Rock. It is about 100 metres but unsafe to climb right to the top. You can get about half way up, which I’ve done before but not on this visit. We were camping at the Piha Domain Camp Ground which was fantastic. This photograph was taken on an evening stroll along the beach at sunset. This is a black sand beach due to it being a volcanic area. In fact Lion Rock is the eroded neck of a volcano which erupted 16 million years ago.