I arrived in New Zealand at the peak of their summer, February 4th. I was immediately greeted by Peter, who owns and operates the Piha Surf Shuttle. His smile and his thick New Zealand accent instantly told me I was going to be happy here. Although not from New Zealand I was hopeful that I would click with this South Pacific community and have a home away from home. After a 45 minute ride we entered the very much protected rainforest and I was speechless. All around were thick, rich trees, plush grass and vines. Peter rolled down the window so I could smell the native tea tree, which grew wild amongst the forest. It smelled magnificent! It was a little surprising to learn that New Zealand does not have many native animals and I would not see koala bears or monkeys swinging from any of the branches here. Although this was a little sad I was also glad to hear that there were not any alligators or crocodiles here either!

The road to Piha is extremely narrow and windy..no room for mistakes, and no street signs. When I asked Peter about this he assured me that he knew just where he was going, “no worries.”

At the top of Seaview Road he pulled over for a minute so I could see the ever-famous Lion Rock and Piha beach in all its glory. It was paradise. A while longer on the road and we pulled in to Piha Surf where Pam and Mike Jolly greeted me with tea and coffee. A quick chat and Peter was off again to shuttle more people to one of the most famous surf beaches around. 

After a brief tour of the campground I was on my own. Within seconds, I dropped off my bags and headed down to the beach and the “town.” After an incredibly steep walk down the mountain I headed into what I thought was the center and had a look around. Actually, the ‘town’ was more of a village and the “center” consisted of the Piha Store, the post office (which brags that it is open 8 hours per week), an art gallery and the Volunteer Fire Departments. A quick circuit and then I headed down to the beach.

Before hitting the black sand I stopped to admire the warning signs posted everywhere! Strong rip currents, unstable cliffs, and dangerous swimming signs were at every entrance. Two orange and red flags were positioned on the beach and swimmers were instructed to only swim between the flags to keep the rescues easier to spot. (My first day there had over 20 rescues.) I was tired, and jet lagged so maybe I would just dip my toes today. Swimming and surfing could wait.

After resting a bit from the jet lag, (Piha is 18 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time,) I began my wwoof work. Wwwoof, (willing workers on organic farms,) is an organization that allows people to travel all over the world and work in exchange for board. My placement was at Piha Surf and was actually more fun than anything else. I worked for three hours per day and did everything from picking up sheepie poo, to painting an A-frame, to repotting a plant. After that, my time was my own, to relax, hike, surf, swim or just explore.

Not far down the road I found an awesome waterfall - Kite Kite Falls (pronounced kitty kitty) - truly an amazing sight and just a few minutes off the main track. The hike wound through the rainforest, which was full of unusual sights and sounds, and provided much needed shade for me on my first trip to the falls. 

Although my days were routine, I was never bored. Each trip to the beach, or the forest provided something different and it would be impossible to experience all that Piha had to offer in my weeks there. At the weekend, hoards of city people (Auckland) poured in and crowded the beaches, the surf shop and the only place to get food on the beach - Blair’s. These 'weekend warriors' provided much entertainment, and people watching was at its peak.

The three “restaurants” in town also brought in the nightlife for Piha - I use the words restaurant and night life pretty loosely as the restaurants were more gathering places and the nightlife was just the surfers gathering to talk about the waves. The three places: The Surf Club, the Bowling Club and the RSA Club were happy to serve Speicht’s beer and steak burgers while locals gathered to compare stories. On my last night there, the lifeguards joined us but had to leave abruptly to look for a missing woman. Apparently this was nothing new. As they dashed off to the “rubber duckie” (rescue boat),changing mid-run, they were all business. It was obvious that they were true professionals and they too took Piha beach very seriously. Mother Nature was no joke in this neck of the woods. (I did learn that after an extensive search, by boat, scuba and helicopter that the missing woman had been found…in her kitchen. I guess this too, happened often.)

The surf in Piha was definitely challenging, at least for me anyway. The waves were deceptively large, and extremely powerful. Surfers did not need to stay within the flags but they did serve as a guidepost and I constantly found myself being pulled away from the flags towards the rocks. The first few waves sent me flying, and even my surf instructor, Jon Paul, laughed as I struggled to even paddle out. It’s funny how calm the water always looks from the beach! After a few hours I got the hang of things and even managed to not scream when I saw the waves coming head on. (By the way, the locals thought these waves were small...)

As my days turned into weeks I knew my wonderful trip was nearing its end. Although I would look forward to indoor plumbing again, there were so many things about Piha I would miss; midday tea and chocolate covered biscuits; the Tui birds that got drunk off the pollen and wobbled, sang and hung upside down by one leg from the tree outside my window; the sound of the ocean as I drifted off to sleep. But most of all, I would miss the people - how carefree they were and how wonderful they made me feel. There was something about this rugged coastline, and its gracious villagers that welcomed me and made me feel at home. If you are lucky enough to get to New Zealand and only see Piha it would be time well spent. And if you do make it all the way to ‘town’, I hope you take the time to visit the non profit art gallery and have a coffee at the Piha Store. Take the time to visit and get to know these people, I promise they are well worth the trip.

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