Lion Rock at Piha Beach

On the west coast of Auckland is the city's most popular beach, Piha. The beach was unlike any other I had seen -- its sand was black and the texture was as soft and smooth as baby's powder. While I was smart and remained on higher ground, most of my crazy American group members walked along the beach barefoot and many got their clothes wet too. Needless to say, they froze the whole bus trip back to Auckland, which was 45 minutes long! Anyways, the big rock in the picture is Lion Rock and in the bottom corner of the picture you'll some of my group-mates: Jess, Julia, and Rusty.