It’s not every day that your work takes you to a location as lovely as this but on Tuesday night I was photographing a lovely young family out at Piha at sunset and finding ourselves childless for 2 whole weeks over school holidays (don’t hate us other Mums and Dads) we decided to combine work with date night.
We set out from the city just before 6 and within an hour we were out at Piha. I’m a fan for the road less travelled and seeing cars going down to North Beach we decided to head in the opposite direction. There we found Philly’s Kitchen.
We walked in and ordered our burgers to takeaway and then sat out on the beach to have a drink (ginger beer – never a good look to be breathing wine fumes on a client but a wine would definitely have gone down well here).
The deck at Philly’s – perfect for a relaxing drink
Mid drink we were all asked over the loud speaker to stand for the ode (for those of you who don’t know it I have put it just below) and observe a minute silence – apparently this is something that the RSA in Piha have happily never given up. It was very moving but James left his hat on so we got a few looks which we just didn’t know how to interpret but we did ask afterwards – funny how culture has moved so much that we don’t think of how offensive that can be now. So tip to anyone going in – take your hat off – it’s just good manners.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Burgers in hand (and with vinegar to pour on them – I love that!!) we headed off to the beach to wait for the family I was photographing to arrive and eat our yummy burgers (well worth ordering!)
Burgers from Philly’s just the way burgers should be
After dinner is when our stories split… I went down to the beach to run around with a 3 year old and her Mum and Dad for an hour and try to capture a few shots between excited digging in the sand while James grabbed his book and climbed to the top of Lion Rock for a quiet read and to laugh at me chasing a 3 year old for photos down below…
Lion Rock
We’re undecided as to who had the most fun there – it certainly was a good work out for both of us and a great way to spend a Tuesday night!
I love Piha – it’s so wild and unpredictable. I got wet countless times standing in spots with my camera where I thought I would stay dry and there are just so many beautiful places to take amazing family photos – two of my favourite locations if you are thinking of going out there for a family shoot are the estuary and the paths down to the beach. If you are lucky you will find a great piece of driftwood for a photo on the beach too.
Time to go home we stopped to take a photo and look at the view at the top of the hill…
Looking down on Piha
And then we stopped a few more times to take a few more photos – never travel with a photographer I tell you!
On the way home from Piha
So date night in Piha on a weeknight? Absolutely – it’s the perfect place to get lost. It’s close, the food is great and affordable, it’s absolutely stunning at sunset and its only an hour from Auckland city.