Breadcrumb
Destination view

Piha Beach

Piha is considered one of New Zealand's most famous surf beaches. It is a scenic black sand beach located about 40 kilometers west of Auckland City. First surfed in the 1950s by Californians, the beach quickly gained a reputation for its difficult and ever-changing breaks. Previously, the area was occupied by Te Kawarau a Maki, the Maori tribe of the west coast, and the remains of their settlements and pas can still be seen on the headlands and in the cliffs around Piha. In the 1850's the area was purchased from the Maori and the European settlers moved in. Soon after, and continuing for almost 90 years, the area was logged for its Kauri timber. Using bullock teams, huge logs would be pulled from the bush and then taken to Karekare and then by purpose-built railway to Whatipu wharf.  Many remnants of this industry can still be seen today. In the late 1800s Piha's reputation as a popular holiday destination was building, encouraging many families to make the long and arduous trip from Auckland to the seaside. Today there are many holiday houses located in the hills and the 40-minute drive from the city brings many visitors during the summer months. You can take surfing lessons or try abseiling down the Piha Canyon. Bring a picnic or visit the beachside surf club for a bite to eat.

Check out our travel blogs here

Get inspired with stories and advice on visiting New Zealand.

Planning your New Zealand touring holiday
Let the experts at New Zealand Coach Tours help

Our team of New Zealand bus & coach tour specialists can help you create the perfect touring itinerary. Whether you want to explore the South Island or the North Island, take an escorted coach tour package or one of our independent itineraries we can design or recommend the best options. We have a huge range of accommodation ideas to suit everyone and our first hand experience of destinations and activities means that we can give the best, most up to date honest advice.

New Zealand Coach Tours is part of the New Zealand Fine Touring Group of Businesses. We are proud members of Tourism Industry Aotearoa and The Tourism Export Council of New Zealand. We are also Qualmark Gold certified and all our team have completed the 100% Pure New Zealand specialist program.
Prefer to explore New Zealand with a Self Drive tour?

Our sister company, New Zealand Self drive Tours, specialises in just that - Self Drive Holidays across New Zealand. With over 200 great itinerary ideas to help inspire you there is something for everyone.
Our team of NZ Specialists tailor-make each itinerary to suit you. With hundreds of accommodation options, activity ideas, a great rental car range and our expertise to pull it altogether you are guaranteed a great NZ Self Drive holiday.