The clock tower commemorated the coronation of Edward VII, the dispatch of 130 Westland men to South Africa, and four troopers who lost their lives in the war.

The foundation stone was laid in February 1902 before a crowd of two thousand, in pelting rain by Premier Seddon, who performed a full Masonic ceremony as the 'Acting Grand Master representing the New Zealand Grand Lodge.'

Piha is the most famous of Auckland’s beautiful black-sand west coast.
Piha is the best escape from the noises of the city. The area is surrounded by lush rain forests, along with comprising two surf beaches, a sheltered lagoon, a waterfall and the Lion Rock that separates Piha’s northern and southern ends.