Stony Beach is a beach in Auckland 0991, within Auckland City, and Google visitors have rated it a perfect 5.0. Auckland's beaches reward a little local knowledge. The east-coast bays are generally calm and strongly tidal, so the sand can all but disappear at high water, while the west coast offers wild black-sand surf where rips are a genuine hazard and swimming between the flags is the sensible rule. Checking a tide chart before setting out is the easiest way to time a visit well. New Zealand sun is fierce even on grey days, so sunscreen, a hat and some shade go further than newcomers expect. Locals tend to arrive early, when the water is at its best. For a stretch of Auckland coastline that reviewers have rated as highly as it can be, Stony Beach is worth finding.