The Ottos were at the centre of everything happening at Piha in the 1940 to the 1960s. Merv was a live-wire and Mr Fix-it man all around Piha, while Mum,  [ Read More ]

“Snow Mercier was actually Eric Horace Leopold Mercier. He and his wife, Dot, were well-known personalities at Piha for decades.  Predictably, Snow got his name from his sandy hair and  [ Read More ]

The Laird Thomson Track that runs from the end of North Piha up to Te Waha Point commemorates a remarkable man, who, with his Whites Beach neighbour, Jim Rose, gifted  [ Read More ]

Richard (Dick) Kibblewhite was an Auckland architect who tried to subdivide Piha in the 1920s, starting as early as 1923. Advertising in his Auckland CBD office street frontage was his  [ Read More ]

I can remember when driving out to Piha we would sometimes pass Les Barker striding out on the Piha Road. Fitness fanatic Les used to run to Piha from the  [ Read More ]

Wilf and Ella Hilford were two of the original community that settled at the end of North Piha Beach, Ella, or Marcella Wardrop Luke Hilford, having purchased Lots 46 and  [ Read More ]

Gerry O’Loughlin was one of the jokesters in the legendary Spivs and Drones. With a large moon-like face and deadpan expression, Jerry could be guaranteed to take the mickey. By  [ Read More ]

Alister Bevin was Mr Entrepreneur and Inventor of Piha in the 1940s and 1950s. In town he had a firm with agricultural implements in Albert Street and every Piha bach had  [ Read More ]

One of two suave Lebanese-descended brothers – Lin and Des – who got involved in the Piha Surf Club. Lin was sophisticated, always immaculately groomed and turned out, and he  [ Read More ]

Tiger O’Brien was a broad-chested nuggety fellow, of sandy compexion. Unlucky in love, he was a bachelor most of his life. When 41 he married Elizabeth Murray, but the marriage did  [ Read More ]