Karekare and Piha beaches
Black volcanic sand and a lion-shaped rock, forty minutes from the city.
Duration
4 hrs – 6 hrs
Best time
Late afternoon
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
The beaches on Auckland's west coast are black sand, loaded with titanomagnetite eroded from the Taranaki volcanoes and carried up by the currents. The sand is magnetic and it gets scorching in the sun.
Piha is dominated by Lion Rock, a sixty-metre volcanic plug standing in the middle of the sand. Karekare, further south and wilder, was the setting for the film The Piano. Both are noted surf beaches and dangerous ones: the Tasman Sea generates powerful rip currents here.
Getting there
Forty minutes' drive west of Auckland, through the Waitakere Ranges. No regular public transport: a car is essential.
What to bring
- Swimsuit
- Cap
- Board
Rules on site
The rip currents are among the deadliest in the country: swim between the flags, and only when lifeguards are on duty, in summer. The black sand passes sixty degrees in full sun — do not walk on it barefoot.
