New Zealand advice

[hemp22]

I'm looking for a little help on climbing locations in New Zealand.

 

I'll be there for a month starting in early to mid October this year, probably living mostly out of a campervan, and spending time on both the north & south islands.

The purpose of the trip isn't specifically for climbing, and my travel partner isn't really a climber, but I know there's a ton of good climbing there and I would hate to not get a little time on the rock.

 

So, can anyone recommend some locations on either island where the climbing is great and I would have the best chance of showing up with shoes & a harness for a couple days and hopefully finding a partner or partners to climb with?

I'd mainly be looking for cragging - sport or trad - and someplace where the weather will be OK for climbing in October. I won't have sufficient clothes/gear with me to get up into the alpine.

If there are any particular locations that have good climbing, but also lots of other things to see/do, that would be ideal.

 

Any NZ message boards where people post for partners?

 

Also, this is my first trip down there, so if you have any other recommendations on things that are a must-do or must-see, those suggestions would also be greatly appreciated.

 

Cheers and Thanks,

hemp

[artesonraju]

Hey Hemp:

 

We just spent a week on the North Island, and managed to fit in 2 days of climbing Wharepape ("Wh" is pronounced "f") South. This is about a 3 hour drive SE of Aukland. There is a bunch of cragging on overhanging ignimbrite pockets and some great trad climbing on cracks nearby as well. Bryce Martin runs a climber's hostel there and is a great (albeit opinionated) guy and a good resource since he put up many of the climbs over the past two decades. We also met a fantastic South African couple that live in Aukland, but spend a bunch of time climbing down there; I might be able to hook you up if you' re interested. The best climbing on the North Island is said to be at Whangamata Bay, although we did not make it there. I have two or three guidebooks; if you want to copy some info. drop me a PM.

 

As far as tourist attractions go, the Black Water rafting in Waitomo Caves pretty cool. ZORBing in Rotarua was also pretty cool, although probably the most expensive thing I've ever done per unit time.

 

Have a great time, and don't forget to drive on the left-hand side of the road! Especially when turning left! I speak from experience, and I'm glad my girlfriend is still alive!

 

Have a great time, and PM me for any further info.

 

Cheers,

 

Lane

 

P.S. I live in PDX.

Edited January 24, 2007 by artesonraju

[Blake]

Go to the South Island. The North Island is more cow fields than anything else. That time of year, spring will be sprung, but lambing season is over, so public access will be available again. On the South Island, check out Payne's Ford near Takaka. There's a campground there (Hangdog) and its right next to the beutiful tropical coast (hiking/kayaking) of the Abel Tasman NAtional Park. You could get belays there no problem, it's bolted limestone sport.

 

Further south along the coast, there is *** Trad climbing right along the coast in Charlston, but you would likely need to pre-arrange a partner for that, although the setting and quality of routes are superb.

 

In terms of other places you could go and just meet people, Christshurch has over a dozen crags with 20 or 30 minutes of town... The ones along the top of the port hills are good, and have nearby tracks fo mt. biking, running, and sight-seeing. If the weather is good in Wanaka, then there are thousands of routes there, from 1-3 pitches in length. This is kinda in the mid-central part of the SI, and near Queenstown. Definitely an active/adventury/outdoors town, you could likely find partners there too.

 

Lastly, the town of Dunedin, about 4 hrs South of Christchurch along the east coast, boasts 4 really cool crags within 20 mins of town, everything from really hard trad to easy bolted stuff.

If you are going to Dunedin, shoot me an email and i can give you 3 or 4 emails of local climbers who would take you out. If you get a guide, get "Rock Deluxe" rather than "South Island Rock."

 

For Partners, check out www.mojozone.co.nz

 

It's the best there is, but it aint great.

Crags are never crowded there.

 

P.S. if you are in to bouldering, Castle hill is 45 mins West fo ChCh and is one of the best locations on the globe. There is a little sport climbing there as well, and it's a cool enough setting to keep a non-climber entertained for the day.

-Blake

Edited January 24, 2007 by Blake

[hemp22]

Excellent.

Thanks for the responses guys.

 

I think we'll be flying to & from Auckland, but we'll probably spend more time on the South Island. I'll read up a bit on the climbing locations on both. It sounds like the places on the south island may have good non-climbing diversions.

 

As for other stuff, I'm definitely going to try the blackwater rafting. Zorbing looks...well, "interesting"...i had never even heard of it until I looked it up on google video just now...not sure if I'll try that, but it certainly wouldn't be the craziest or silliest thing that I've spent too much money on.

 

Does anyone have any experience with the Milford & Routeburn Tracks? I'm interested in doing both, but if I can only fit in one, I'd like to know which to try for.

 

Cheers

[Blake]

Zorbing is overpriced and not worth it. Blackwater rafting was very cool. I would skip out on the miford (rainy, crowded, overdone), and instead do the Routburn, Reese-Dart, or Copland Pass Tracks. Check out web resources for Copland Bass or Ball Pass crossing, both near Mt. Cook National Park.

 

The only moderately reliable weather site for NZ is

 

http://www.metvuw.com/

 

And if you are flying into and out of Aukland, make sure to visit the Cormandel Penninsula. It is only about 2 hours to the east of Aukland, and has amazing tropical beaches and beachside climbing. Places to see there

 

Cathedral Cove, Hot Water Beach, and climbing above the white sands of Te Ananui

 

http://www.mojozone.co.nz/climbing-location/te-ananui

 

and at the upper end of the Penninsula, multipitch routes

http://www.mountainz.co.nz/content/article/article.php?article=160704_castlerockupdate.php&direct=nz

Edited January 24, 2007 by Blake

[mtn_mouse]

The south island is way more rugged, and would be the best place to hang out. Christchurch is the main town, and there are several pubs, and it is easy to meet folks who climb there. Then you can go to the pub at the Hermitage at Mt Cook to meet alpine climbers who may have some ideas for rock climbs. Probably the best area is Queenstown on Lake Wakitipo.

You can't miss with those three places. October is a great spring time season.

I did the Routeburn track, then on to the Hollyford track which goes to the coast. Less people and restrictions than the Milford. Leave right out of Queenstown. Awesome.

Oh, and if someone calls you a Tramp, that's a good thing. Hiking is Tramping in NZ.

[jstone]

Do yourself a favor and check out http://www.rockclimb.co.nz/ Bryce is a good guy and knows the Wharepape very well. My girlfriend and I had a great time cragging around there. Smiths is a really goos spot, and baileys road was the most peacfull, cool climbing we did on the trip.

Paynes Ford is also a must, VERY cool spot.

[Aya]

Definitely might as well stop by Bryce's on your way down south. It's lovely, and it's cool to be climbing in "Hobbiton". Amazing scenery!! I have some photos here: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v306/Eilial/Smith%20rock%20New%20Zealand/

 

 

 

[DaveH]

Hemp, you need to do a bit of planning about what other things you want to do or see. You may find that driving a relatively short distance takes much longer than you would think, particularly in the North Island. Also, despite what others have said, October is still Spring and the weather is often unsettled at that time - you may be lucky and get a good long fine period but you may also get a lot of rain so be prepared to change your plans while you are there.

 

Since you will only be cragging and not alpine, definitely spend time in the North Island. As others have mentioned, for a day or 2 of convenient cragging, Wharepapa is probably the best place to hit as it is not a big detour for you when you are heading south from Auckland. Bryce can give you plenty of good beta on the area. If you get the chance, stop off at Whanganui Bay on the western shores of Lake Taupo which is an hour or so drive south of Wharepapa - IMHO it's the most beautiful cragging area in NZ, even better than Paynes Ford though most South Islanders would probably disagree. Bryce can also give you plenty of info on "the Bay".

 

In the South Island, Paynes Ford is great and Castle Hill near Christchurch is definitely worth a visit. The West Coast of the South Island is beautiful but don't even think about it if the nor'westers are blowing (which is frequent) - all you will see is rain. If you think it rains here in the PNW, wait till you get to "the Coast".

 

Wanaka is also worth a visit. Don't bother with Dunedin (sorry Blake), there's nothing to see there and its a cold damp hole, especially when a southerly is blowing through (there's nothing but a few thousand miles of ocean between it and Antarctica, say no more!)

 

Just remember to be flexible with your plans, check the local weather forecasts and go where the weather seems good and you'll have a great time.

[hemp22]

Nice. Paynes Ford, the Cormandel, castle Hill, Bryce's - all are looking like places i'd like to chill at for a few days. the more i look at them, the more i want to extend my trip.

As I mentioned, I probably won't have a rope or rack, so i'll be trying to bum belays off of people, or i'll just boulder. I'd bring more gear if I thought I'd be spending most of my time climbing, but I have to fit in a bunch of other stuff - tramps, kayaking, etc.

 

i'm more interested in doing that routeburn than the milford, and i just need to convince myself that the conditions on it will be good enough in early November.

[Bill_Simpkins]

Castle Hill is nice. I could live there ...so nice.

I stayed at the hostel on the pass just west of there for 5 days.

There are a lot of easy scrambles there if you are alone.

[Aya]

You can rent gear from Bryce.

[mattp]

If your partner likes hiking (they call it tramping), there are a number of pretty cool hikes that are well worthwhile, and the volcano partk on the North Island has a good two or three day trip with hot springs near one of the huts, whereas the S. island has more remote and venturesome stuff.

[cj001f]

You say your flying into the North Island? Buy a ticket to CHC the day you arrive and return the day you leave. No reason to set foot outside the airport on the North Island unless you are surfing.

 

Don't bother with any of the big name tramps, there's plenty of others just as scenic, with far fewer people. Depending on how much snow they get this winter there may be some really good hut tramping available or it may require an ice axe and pons for some of the passes. Check out the Moirs guides or onw of the selected trekking guides.

[tvashtarkatena]

All South Island stuff:

 

Wanaka is a great home base for cragging and trekking. The weather is pretty good. Forget the famous 'Big Walks'; expensive and overbooked. Just pick a route on a topo and get route advice from the Dept of Conservation (DOC) office and guide service offices in town. NZ has an extensive hut system, many of which are seldom used. You can fly or jet boat into and out of a surprising number of trailheads. Choppering up to the Aspiring hut (2 mile flat glacier traverse required) is an awesome trip and not expensive if shared by 4 people. You can walk the 2 day trek back out (downhill).

 

The Copland track is nice; takes you over the crest. The Kepler track out of Te Anau is a great 2 to 3 day walk. Te Anau is also the base for kayak trips into Doubtful Sound: spectacular.

 

Mt. Cook village: For a moderate but fantastically scenic trip, hike up to the Mueller Hut and watch massive avalanches come off of Mt. Sefton. From there you can scramble Ed Hillary's very first alpine climb. Mt. Cook's in full view from the deck. There are other quick trips in the area as well.

 

A sea kayak trip (I know, you didn't request this, but here it is anyway) in Abel Tasman NP is great: Fine sunny weather, white sand beaches. Kind of a honeymoon setting. You can kayak out, drop off the boats, and trek back. Google 'Abel Tasman kayak'.

 

PM me if you're local to Seattle and want to check out some maps...

 

Cheers

[foraker]

For full on PNW wetness and bonus sand flea marauding: Dusky Track.

[hemp22]

Yeah, we're flying into the North Island. We have to visit some friends that work at a winery somewhere on the north island, and then stay a few days with other friends in Wellington before heading to the South Island. i'll try to do some climbing there if I can do the gear rental thing at Bryce's. I'll only have minimal stuff with me. But this NZ trip will be right after a month of roadtripping & climbing around the southwest states, so I figure I'll be needing some time to heal, and won't be too bummed if I don't climb too much down there.

 

We're definitely looking at doing the Abel Tasman kayaking too. will probably spend a good amount of time around there.

 

At this point, we've got a couple travel guidebooks and we're sorting out what our path around the south island will probably look like. but i still need to get myself the rock deluxe guide too.

[foraker]

When I was there, there was a youth hostel out near Akaroa. You could take a shuttle bus ride there from Christchurch. If you get good weather, it's a nice trip out there. The hostel would also take you out on horseback rides for extra and the view was great.

Don't know if they're still around. Taking a cruise out into Milford sound is nice. I did a sleepover cruise for my birthday when I was there and we had about 20 or 30 huge dolphins ride our bow-wave into the harbor. :-)

[gertlush]

I didn't think Bryce was very nice. We saw his wife at the supermarket buying all kinds of supplies. Then we show up one morning and ask for breakfast and he's like 'No, it's Saturday, we don't do breakfast on Saturday' Come on Bryce, we know you got bacon & eggs back there..so we left unsatiated...

 

now that little hostel up the road that has the mountain bike tracks and that...Gary the Maori dude is an excellent fellow, & they got a hot tub...anyways...

[cj001f]

anyways...

 

You are so seppo it hurts?

[tvashtarkatena]

We're definitely looking at doing the Abel Tasman kayaking too. will probably spend a good amount of time around there.

 

 

If you can swing 4 days in ATNP, you can do 2.5 days kayaking out to the farthest point, then hike 1.5 days back. That's pretty much the premium trip there. The less expensive tour companies have a guide accompany you for half a day then send you on your way. The campground near the put in point is way cheaper than any closer to town. Ask your guides about it.

 

Lake Manapouri (awesome) and Te Anau (much bigger, probably need more time) are logistically much easier kayaking destinations than Doubtful Sound, if you limited by time/money/etc. 3 to 4 days minimum to get the full experience. If you want to go into Doubtful Sound (INCREDIBLE), you can either a) attach yourself to an existing party or b) convince them to let you go alone. If the latter, you'll still need to go in and come out with other parties to amortize the cost of the ferry across Lake Manapouri. Kayaking the lakes avoids these hassles, but hey, no southern fur seals or dolphins.

 

[foraker]

STFU, Tvash. You're making me want to pick up all my crap and move down that way again.

[G-spotter]

Dunedin is a far better city than Christchurch.

Wanaka is a far better town than Queenstown.

 

If you want to go climbing peaks and not see crowds forget about Aspiring and Cook and head for the Barron Saddle - Mount Brewster area.

 

Only go to the Darrans if it isn't raining or if you are homesick for the PNW.

[G-spotter]

PS Real men drink Speights

[foraker]

'Crowds' on Aspiring and Cook? What's your definition of a crowd? Maybe things were worse for you but when I was on Cook there was only one other team on the same route and there wasn't anyone else going up the eastern side. The huts weren't even packed. We didn't see anyone on Aspiring we were halfway back to civilization. Maybe if you happen to get a good 3 day weather window on Cook, things get a bit busier but that's a crap shoot.