On a recent trip to the Waitakeres for the Going West Writers Festival, we used the opportunity to finally visit the iconic west coast beach at Piha. Due to regular visits to the Gannets we are familiar with Muriwai and Edin’s research at Ihumoana Island took us Bethells Beach/Te Henga a few times but this visit to Piha was a first.

We headed over in the afternoon after a lunch at the Elevation Cafe which has lovely views and reasonable pizzas. It was a pleasant stop for a drink and food after the morning at the festival. Timing and a sunny day meant the lighting was rather harsh and not ideal for photography but the dramatic rock formations and black west coast sands lent themselves to recording some images with an eye to Black and White processing.

Well known for the 12 season TV series, Piha Rescue, the surf and beach conditions provide plenty of opportunity for dramatic rescues. On the day we were there I am surprised anybody would risk swimming when there are plenty of better and safer options.

Photos with Fuji XT3 and 18-55mm f2.8-4 OIS lens. Processed in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop with Nik Silver Efex Pro plugin.