63 and free

We did a tour of a small bit of the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park (directly west of Auckland) before making our way down to Piha Beach. It was all breathtaking, to say the least.

The first stop was the Arataki Visitor Centre, perched high on a cliff/slope and looking south across Manukau Harbour (the west harbour of Auckland). The mist made it even more stunning.

Then there were the forests…

Then we were off to Piha, which is not only a prime surfing destination, but one of only a handful of black sand beaches in the world. ‘Piha’ comes from the original name for Lion Rock. ‘Te Piha’ means the divided ripple at the bow of the canoe, which looks like what happens as waves smash into Lion Rock.

The most amazing thing? The sand has a high concentration of  titanomagnetite, which contains titanium and iron. Take a look what happens when one spins a magnet in the dry sand:

But let’s be honest: the true highlight was the meat pie at “The Mill Bakehouse” in Titirangi. Many thanks to Jason, our driver and guide from “Bush and Beach” for this pit stop.