Auckland Trip Day Two - Piha Beach

New Zealand drew me in from the start but our visit to Piha Beach put me over the edge. It is one of the most stunning places I've ever seen. It amazed me from every angle. It changed in every light. It went from foreboding to welcoming from playful to brooding. I found it serene and spectacular. I fell in love.

We first glimpsed Piha from above. The winding mountain road leads to an overlook. From there we could see that most swimmers and surfers convened on the near end of the beach. We also saw the imposing Lion Rock. 

Down by the water we watched the daring surfers head out into the crashing waves. We also saw families playing with boogie boards in the shallower areas. The life guards stood ready and watching with a boat standing by prepared for ocean rescues. We stood along the edge, felt the water on our feet and listened to the roar of the water.

Here are Emmy and Tess scaling one of the volcanic rocks that lend the sand its grey/black color.

After playing for a while we walked over to explore the beach on the other side of Lion Rock. Note the no swimming sign and the complete lack of people - even on a summer Sunday. Also note the low lying mist from the spray of the water. 

In between these two beach areas stands Lion Rock and a steep narrow path leads up to a look out. To our surprise both girls were up for the climb. 

Afterwards, we let the girls play in the shallow calm waters of the tidal river area. I actually found this view back at the quiet little town almost as beautiful as the view out at the water.

They built more sand castles here and declared it Castle Island with me as the queen, Brian as king and the two of them as teenage princesses.

We took one more run at the waves before reluctantly climbing in the car and driving the hour back to the airport. It made for a whirlwind of a weekend but I know I'll remember it for a very long time and I hope the kids will as well.