Day Trip to Piha: A Black Sand Beach
Waking up to the first full day in New Zealand, I think everyone felt a bit refreshed having had a solid night of sleep. Over breakfast we made plans for a day trip to Piha, a black sand beach just 45 minutes north of Auckland.
Admittedly, getting all of us moving in the morning, a solid lunch of peanut butter and jelly and apples packed, and baby James ready took us a little while. We were definitely not moving at optimal speed, but eventually we were on our way with Maggie guiding us through the winding roads to our destination.
Arriving at Piha Beach
Piha is pretty beautiful as there are a number of cliffs and lookouts providing views down onto the beach and the surrounding hills. The beach itself is quite flat, which is ideal to watch baby James run around as you can see so far in every direction with only sand to eat or throw as a true concern. We set out a blanket and hung out soaking up the sun for a few minutes prior to breaking into lunch.
Hiking at Piha Beach
Post lunch, we were ready to make the most of our day trip to Piha by going for a hike. At the left hand side of the beach are a set of stairs that lead up and over a hill, providing great views, and down into a small beach cove protected by rocks on most sides. The walk only takes about 20 minutes before landing in the cove. During low tide, the cove has a pool of water in it, and during high tide it is mostly filled with water.
Here we ran into a friendly elderly woman who mentioned the tide was coming in. This was helpful information as we chose to wade across the freezing cold, mid-calf deep pool currently in the cove to climb the hills on the other side. After removing shoes and rolling up our pants, we were off.
Through the pool, over the rocks, and trekking to the top, we went. Stopping for pictures along the way and to admire the giant waves crashing against the rocks. On our way back we managed our way down the hills, over the rocks to the pool to wade through to find it was closer to knee deep or higher meaning wet pants!
As we emerged on the other side, we debated going back to the main beach the way we came or along the edge of the cliffs. The edge of the cliffs are above water at low tide and should be pretty manageable without getting too wet since tide was coming in. As Maggie was carrying baby James on her back she took off over the hill top with our valuables (purse) while we ventured over the rocky coastline.
Adventure Along the Cliffs of Piha
We made it a solid half way there getting a few splashes here and there. Well, I was a bit wetter having stood frozen on a wet rock having flashbacks to breaking my wrist doing similar things with Cari and Maggie many moons ago… But once I gathered my bravery and continued I was just a bit wetter than before.
At this point the coast was completely underwater for a solid ten feet but the water wasn’t too deep when the waves went out, maybe we could make it. This is where it all fell apart.
I hopped down between waves and waded over to the other side to find an unpleasant surprise, boulders on the ground under the water, and the other side was covered with slippery moss. Just like that and a few waves overcame me.
Deciding that it was a loosing battle, I turned back wet from my shoulders down and fighting a decently strong current. On my very wet return journey up the other side, a wave took Cari out, sliding her down the rocky side leaving her not just wet, but also bruised and slightly bloody from the rocks. I believe we might have to consider this part of the adventure a fail…
Take 2: Hiking Back to the Main Beach
At that point we turned back making our way back over the rocks to the cove, through the pool, and back over the hill, putting us a long ways behind Maggie’s return. This was especially fun in soaking wet clothes.
Upon arrival at the car, Maggie was so perplexed at what took so long and why we were soaked. As we went through the series of events, baby James managed to pee on the backseat. (We had distracted Maggie mid-diaper change – oops!) She moved him to the front seat while we tried to wring our clothes out and arranged the beach blanket in the back seat for Cari and I to sit on.
In this few minutes, baby James managed to poop on the front seat, another fun surprise! Maggie cleaned it up, we hopped in the car and made our way home with Cari and I freezing the whole 45 minutes back…
Fortunately warm showers and laundry were on the other side of the ride, and we had a pretty low key night just hanging out at home. All in all, the day trip to Piha was a success as the beach was beautiful! But boy did we manage to make the end of the day rough!
Plan Your Adventures in New Zealand
With a day trip to Piha Beach on the books, check out what other fun things New Zealand holds! Here are a number of useful posts to help you continue planning your trip:
- Renting a Car in New Zealand: An Essential Guide
- Road Trip from Queenstown to Christchurch
- Road Trip from Queenstown to Glacier Country
- Discover Lake Wanaka: Hidden Gem of New Zealand
- Get to Know Downtown Auckland in Just One Day
- Geothermal Activity and Adventures in Rotorua
- In Search of Glow Worms: Waipu and Abbey Caves
- Wining and Dining on Waiheke Island
- Visiting Hobbiton: The Set of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings’ Movies
- Visiting the Bay of Islands with The Rock Overnight Adventure Cruise
