Piha South Beach

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Piha is the birth place of New Zealand surfing and one of the worlds most famous surfing beaches. Boarding in Piha began in the 1930's and in 1958 Malibu board riding arrived. Piha is home to New Zealand's national and international surfing champions. The powerful rips that make it ideal for boarding makes it dangerous for swimmers and have been known to snap canoes in half. This area is patrolled by 2 life saving clubs and has a reality show "Piha Rescue". Please stay in the designated swimming area marked with red and yellow flags.

Lions Rock sits between North Piha Beach and South Piha Beach close to the public toilets and changing facilities. There is a picnic area close to the car park. The waves at North Piha Beach are a bit more friendly and hospitable to swimmers and new surfers. The area is home to blue penguins, pippits and oyster catchers. Because of this, dogs have been banned from the beach and grass lands. The black sands of Piha captures sun, heating the beach. The colour of the sand can be attributed to it's rich iron content. The surrounding area is perfect for exploring when the waves are too rough.

WATER QUALITY

No data available
Current Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on April 30th, 2017. Pulse Energy updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on at

For water quality icon legend, click:

Report Pollution

MONITORING FREQUENCY

SOURCE INFORMATION

Marine Water standards are measured by enterococci levels unless the beach is located near a waste treatment plant, in which case E.coli levels are also be tested.

Safeswim issues an amber alert if a single sample level of enterococci are greater than 140 units / 100 ml of water. Daily testing would occur to determine if the problem is ongoing. When two consecutive results show Enterococci levels higher than 280 units / 100ml of water warnings are posted. Signs will also be posted at beaches and until water levels return to a safe level.

Pulse Energy checks for the latest information daily, Monday - Friday during the swimming season. Results are also available on the latest monitoring pages for beaches and lakes and via 0800 723 379.

A beach has a GREEN current status in Swim Guide when it has met the water quality standard of 140 enterococci/100 mL and has a rank of GREEN.

A beach has a RED current status in Swim Guide when samples exceed the water quality criteria of 140 enterococci/100 mL and there is an AMBER or RED alert.

A beach is marked Grey in Swim Guide when there is no current or reliable monitoring information available.

Swimming is not recommended within 48 hours after a heavy rainfall or around storm water outfalls and at stream mouths.

You can report pollution concerns by calling 09 377 3107 and by using our Report Pollution tool on Swim Guide.

WATER QUALITY GRAPH

Piha South Beach

Piha, New Zealand

Managed by Pulse Energy

WATER QUALITY

No data available
Current Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on April 30th, 2017. Pulse Energy updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on at

For water quality icon legend, click:

MONITORING FREQUENCY

SOURCE INFORMATION

WATER QUALITY GRAPH

Beach	Location	Water Quality
Piha Lagoon - South Piha, New Zealand	Piha, New Zealand	Special Status
Piha Lagoon - North Piha, New Zealand	Piha, New Zealand	Special Status
Mercer Bay Piha, New Zealand	Piha, New Zealand	Current Status
Piha North Beach Piha, New Zealand	Piha, New Zealand	Current Status

Other Beaches Near This One

Beach	Location	Water Quality
Piha Lagoon - South Piha, New Zealand	Piha, New Zealand	Special Status
Piha Lagoon - North Piha, New Zealand	Piha, New Zealand	Special Status
Mercer Bay Piha, New Zealand	Piha, New Zealand	Current Status
Piha North Beach Piha, New Zealand	Piha, New Zealand	Current Status

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Swim Guide shares the best information we have at the moment you ask for it. Always obey signs at the beach or advisories from official government agencies. Stay alert and check for other swimming hazards such as dangerous currents and tides. Please report your pollution concerns so Affiliates can help keep other beach-goers safe.

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	Green means the beach’s most recent test results met relevant water quality standards.

	Red means the beach’s most recent test results failed to meet water quality standards.

	Grey means water quality information for the beach is too old (more than 7 days old) to be considered current, or that info is unavailable, or unreliable.

	Green means the beach passed water quality tests 95% of the time or more.

	Yellow means the beach passed water quality tests 60-95% of the time.

	Red means the beach failed water quality tests 40% of the time or more.

	Green means the beach has historically excellent or pristine water quality, but there is no current data.

	Red means the water at the site has water quality issues or there is an emergency.

	Grey means there is no current water quality information, the beach is under construction, there has been an event that has rendered water quality information unreliable or unavailable.