Lion Rock is the blunt volcanic outcrop that divides Piha Beach into north and south halves. It is the village's natural meeting point: surfers check the breaks from below it, families spread out on the sand around it, and almost every first photo of Piha has the rock somewhere in the frame.
A track climbs partway up the rock to a lookout over the beach and the Waitakere coast. The upper section has been closed in the past because of slips and erosion, so obey the signs rather than pushing higher. Even from the lower lookout, the view is enough to explain why Aucklanders keep coming back.