Piha Beachstay is a superb place to stay, even if the name is a little misguiding (it's not on the beach, but ~12min walk). The place itself ably caters for couples or dorm groups with large, modern, open plan, airy facilities including TV lounge, dining area, large clean kitchen, terrace overlooking the hills, and more than enough toilets & hot showers. The overall feel of the place is more "friendly log-cabin" than "typical backpackers". Oh, and unlike other NZ places we've stayed in, Piha escapes sandflies, probably as the mozzies have eaten them all. Bring repellent!

A word of advice to those coming to Piha; there's not a lot here in terms of provisioning so you're best to bring groceries with you, topping up day-to-day stuff from the general store 10min away. The Piha RSA club down the road does great steak & chips for $20. Note that most places here take cash or EFTPOS only, so UK guests take note; nearest ATM is 20min drive away... SuperShuttle from airport is $99 1st person + $13 thereafter, private taxi ~$130, I've not tried to get a return yet but I hear there's the Piha Surf Shuttle too for dedicated Auckland-Piha transport.

All in all, I'd come back here at the drop of a hat to spend a few days kicking back, or maybe even taking on the challenging surf. NB people aren't kidding when they say "swim between the flags". According to the cabbie grapevine they've lost 20 people on the W Coast beaches THIS YEAR. That's one a day. You have been warned!

Oh my god this place is stunning! It's huge! Light, airy, fantastic fire and so close to the beach too!

We stayed for four days over Labour weekend, having flown in from Oz for a double birthday and the reception we received was just perfect.

I can't wait to come back and i'd highly recommend this place to anyone!! Fantastic!!

This place is absolutely awesome. The first thing I was blown away by was the kitchen...which was great! The next thing that got me was just how well fitted out the whole place is. We literally only had to bring our own food and drinks - everything else was there - seriously, almost everything you could imagine...even phone chargers for those that had forgotten theirs!

Jeff (the custodian) was so easy to deal with - really laid back and totally just left us to ourselves in the place for the whole weekend.

We rented the whole place (sleeps 20) for a long weekend, but can see that you could rent certain rooms out individually. Each room is private and secure and a couple of them have ensuites which was great. There are no shortage of bathrooms with I think 5 in total.

All in all, I can honestly and thouroughly recommend this place to all and everyone who would consider it!

In 10 months of travelling Piha Beachstay was the best accommodation! Close to Auckland but another world away. The open-plan home was fantastic with all the mod-cons, dvds, a fire and a great deck. The house is spotless, beds very comfy and bathrooms have power showers. The owners are welcoming hosts and our 2 days in Piha became 4 simply due to this inexpensive luxury. Next time in Piha, even if we had a lot more money to spend on accommodation, we'd still choose Piha Beachstay.