Rediscovering the Bay
Up de do da Buttress
If Lobotomy Buttress is feeling a little too familiar, then get over to Up de do da Buttress which has similar, to slightly harder climbs which are longer and more exposed!
Warm up on the short ‘Captain Custard’ (17) and ‘Sustainable Spasms’ (18) before sampling the ‘sportingly bolted’ 20m+ routes in the centre of the crag. ‘Intifada’(22) is the pick of the long central climbs with a delicate slab, an alcove, and a crack to negotiate before thin face climbing to the chains. ‘Oxidator’ (21) is in good condition, and ‘Limestone Cowboy’ (22) is now clean at the top. I can also attest that the fall line from just below the chains is very clean and quite a rush! Alex Palman’s ‘When we were Kings’ (24) is the clean, 6-bolt line between the previous two climbs not in the current edition of the guide-book. Further up the track is ‘Ruru’ (20), a real gem with a delicate slab leading to a steep pocketed headwall. James Wright is also about to bolt his newly cleaned 30m line to the right of Oxidator. If it’s grade 19 like he suspects then it will fill out the grades nicely up there.
The track to U-B starts in the little grassy clearing near the fence, 100m or so closer to the lake than L-B, and takes about 5 minutes to walk.
The North End
Yes, the North End still open for climbing - but please bear in mind that there is a house down there now - and the fixed ropes are still holding up alright. ‘Who .. is Jim Collins’ (19) is a very nice face climb on rock which is much more consolidated than the main cliff. There are no pockets here – but there are hangers on the bolts. Moveable Feast (19) is still clean and very nice, and Silly Arete (22) is climbable too. Many of the crack routes are overgrown, but some harder lines have been cleaned in recent years - by Kester apparently.
Waitakahi/Mystery Wall
The Waitakahi trail-head is found most easily by walking back from Lobotomy Buttress to the lake. Go past the fence and clearing, down the hump and another 20-30 m towards the lake. Keep looking left of the road for the path angling off from two medium sized trees on the grassy verge between the bush and the road. If you get to the gorse, you’ve gone too far towards the lake. The track is a bit broken but short (100m?), and flat to the river. Cross where two trees meet in the middle (obvious) and follow the newly trimmed track down the river before heading up into the bush. Skirt the big, tree root consolidated embankment either to the left, leading to a steep, vague track, or along the re-cut track on the right (recommended). It’s about a 10-15 minute walk from road to rock.
The track comes out at the pleasant little face/arête ‘Just Hanging Around’ (20), with a crux below the first of 4 naked bolts and a tree abseil. Many of the crack routes up here are now heavily vegetated, but many faces look as if they could be easily resuscitated. Around to the right we’ve cleaned up the striking ‘Wide Open Spaces’ (18) on which you’ll be thankful for a couple of #1-2 cams and #1-2 friends. Fossick for the good rap tree 5m back from the top. Immediately to the left of this is ‘You get that on the big Jobs’ (23), with several naked bolts, that was thoroughly cleaned up not long ago (by K and K?). On a 15m wall holding several routes in the 22-24 range, ‘Let’s Lynch Simon’ (23) has been scrubbed down and climbed up. Back to the left of the track is the very impressive looking ‘Verdon’ (22) which also looks recently cleaned, but apparently (?) the bolts are less than perfect.
If you do venture off to Waitakahi then take your secateurs and wire-brush and help re-open the routes and track! Enjoy the adventure of rediscovering these other satellite crags at the Bay!
Dave Grove on the top section of ‘Ruru’ (20), Up De Do Da Buttress
Two shots of Lisa Phelan heading through the crux on ‘Just Hanging Around’ (20), Waitakahi.
If Lobotomy Buttress is feeling a little too familiar, then get over to Up de do da Buttress which has similar, to slightly harder climbs which are longer and more exposed!
Warm up on the short ‘Captain Custard’ (17) and ‘Sustainable Spasms’ (18) before sampling the ‘sportingly bolted’ 20m+ routes in the centre of the crag. ‘Intifada’(22) is the pick of the long central climbs with a delicate slab, an alcove, and a crack to negotiate before thin face climbing to the chains. ‘Oxidator’ (21) is in good condition, and ‘Limestone Cowboy’ (22) is now clean at the top. I can also attest that the fall line from just below the chains is very clean and quite a rush! Alex Palman’s ‘When we were Kings’ (24) is the clean, 6-bolt line between the previous two climbs not in the current edition of the guide-book. Further up the track is ‘Ruru’ (20), a real gem with a delicate slab leading to a steep pocketed headwall. James Wright is also about to bolt his newly cleaned 30m line to the right of Oxidator. If it’s grade 19 like he suspects then it will fill out the grades nicely up there.
The track to U-B starts in the little grassy clearing near the fence, 100m or so closer to the lake than L-B, and takes about 5 minutes to walk.
The North End
Yes, the North End still open for climbing - but please bear in mind that there is a house down there now - and the fixed ropes are still holding up alright. ‘Who .. is Jim Collins’ (19) is a very nice face climb on rock which is much more consolidated than the main cliff. There are no pockets here – but there are hangers on the bolts. Moveable Feast (19) is still clean and very nice, and Silly Arete (22) is climbable too. Many of the crack routes are overgrown, but some harder lines have been cleaned in recent years - by Kester apparently.
Waitakahi/Mystery Wall
The Waitakahi trail-head is found most easily by walking back from Lobotomy Buttress to the lake. Go past the fence and clearing, down the hump and another 20-30 m towards the lake. Keep looking left of the road for the path angling off from two medium sized trees on the grassy verge between the bush and the road. If you get to the gorse, you’ve gone too far towards the lake. The track is a bit broken but short (100m?), and flat to the river. Cross where two trees meet in the middle (obvious) and follow the newly trimmed track down the river before heading up into the bush. Skirt the big, tree root consolidated embankment either to the left, leading to a steep, vague track, or along the re-cut track on the right (recommended). It’s about a 10-15 minute walk from road to rock.
The track comes out at the pleasant little face/arête ‘Just Hanging Around’ (20), with a crux below the first of 4 naked bolts and a tree abseil. Many of the crack routes up here are now heavily vegetated, but many faces look as if they could be easily resuscitated. Around to the right we’ve cleaned up the striking ‘Wide Open Spaces’ (18) on which you’ll be thankful for a couple of #1-2 cams and #1-2 friends. Fossick for the good rap tree 5m back from the top. Immediately to the left of this is ‘You get that on the big Jobs’ (23), with several naked bolts, that was thoroughly cleaned up not long ago (by K and K?). On a 15m wall holding several routes in the 22-24 range, ‘Let’s Lynch Simon’ (23) has been scrubbed down and climbed up. Back to the left of the track is the very impressive looking ‘Verdon’ (22) which also looks recently cleaned, but apparently (?) the bolts are less than perfect.
If you do venture off to Waitakahi then take your secateurs and wire-brush and help re-open the routes and track! Enjoy the adventure of rediscovering these other satellite crags at the Bay!
Dave Grove on the top section of ‘Ruru’ (20), Up De Do Da Buttress
Two shots of Lisa Phelan heading through the crux on ‘Just Hanging Around’ (20), Waitakahi.