Bouldering at Turakirae Head

On an unusually warm day in mid May, a chatty crew of six climbers and myself made our way out to Turakirae Head to session a few of the many boulders dotting the South Coast. Antonia was able to source four bouldering pads, which we divvied between us as we ambled the first half hour … Read more

Traversing Travers, konquering Kehu

Taking an extra day off work for this adventure was bittersweet – 6 interested punters were whittled down to just 3 as we were the only ones who could get the time off before the closing date for the trip. However in the end we were glad we did it as we ended up with … Read more

More indoor climbing bouldering options in Wellington

We’ve had some exciting developments at our local climbing gyms in Wellington. Hangdog has opened a new bouldering area alongside the main gym. Check out their website for photos and details: www.hangdog.co.nz. Fergs Kayaks Wellington has completed an upgrade with a standalone boulder area separate from the lead room and top rope area. As Federated … Read more

Why you should rock climb Part 1

There is a misconception that the mountaineering group in the club is hard core and tough. Hopefully once I have finished this article that misconception will be cleared up. If this does not do the trick then Frances and Henry’s talk on the 2nd December should sort it out once and for all. We didn’t meet … Read more

Too Cloudy Peak

This trip appeared on the schedule and immediately got my interest, partly because as chief guide I didn’t put it there and partly because I hadn’t heard of the place. Mike explained that cloudy peak (well actually not all of this, consider it a narrative thing) is a rock climbers paradise in the middle of the … Read more

In search of the new lost Waikanae Crag

Last year, rumors started to surface at Fergs that a new crag had been bolted near Waikanae, which was shortly followed by the whinges of seasoned climbers, ‘yeah right, a big long bush bash for crumbling greywacke.’ But then Christmas arrived and Santa delivered a guide to the Wellington Rock Climbing facebook group. See Waikanae … Read more

Rock climbing at Kawakawa Bay

There’s a steadily growing group of rock climbers in the club. Most often you can find us in Fergs or Hangdog trying to keep our skills up, but there’s nothing like being out on real rock. Winter isn’t exactly the best time to be climbing outside, it’s tough going when you’re cold, especially if the rock … Read more

Good Rock – Organ Pipes

New Zealand is a new country geographically speaking. The Southern Alps grow every year, and Aoraki has a go at shrinking every year. For a NZ rock climber, the primary goal is to find “good rock”. Not to seek out nice “starred” routes with lovely outlooks and beautiful sequences. No, the goal is to find … Read more