Climbing trip to the North Island

I flew up to Auckland on Wednesday (18th), and Clay (manager of the new Clip 'n Climb up there) picked me up at the airport. The weather was absolutely beautiful, so we headed to Mt Eden Quarry.
I figured we should start slow, so I jumped on Graveyard Groove...and proceeded to flail spectacularly, including slipping off toward the top. I started thinking that all those rumors about the Quarry were true, until Clay cleaned the entire route in about 2 minutes, without batting an eye. Turns out, as much as I wanted to avoid using anything but the crack, the slick face holds were the key...who woulda thought!?
Then it was Clay's turn to lead. After a failed attempt at the start of Soliloquy, he handed the lead over to me. I absolutely loved it, solid finger-locks the whole way! A three star route in my book.
Videos here:
Graveyard Groove
Soliloquy

So, after a very warm afternoon at the Quarry, we headed to Galbraith's (very good beer) and Shakespeare's (not quite so good), with a detour along the way to look at the harbour and Sky Tower.

Thursday, we headed down to Taupo (with me in a very hung-over state), stopping off at Bryce's and Waipapa on the way. Unfortunately, it was raining and we couldn't climb at Waipapa (sweet looking crag though!).
So, instead, we chewed-the-fat with Bryce, and I bought a large shiny toy for a friend (it didn't make it back to Chch unused :-)


I couldn't get any good shots of Waipapa, because of the bush, so here's one of the carpark crag. Talk about being able to belay from the bumper...!


Friday, we awoke to miserable weather in Taupo, so we headed up to Reperoa to check out Matt's baby. The rock was wet, but it wasn't raining, and the friction is crazy good. So, we threw ourselves at a couple wet and muddy(top-out) cracks. Short, but otherwise very good climbing at probably about the only crag near Taupo that wasn't getting rain at the time.
This is Clay pointing at the spot where he couldn't get his fist-jam to stick...hehe... :-P


Saturday wasn't a whole lot better in Taupo, but we decided to try our luck at Whanganui Bay anyway. It was raining lightly when we got there, so we figured Tibia was a bit too ambitious, just in case we had to bail. I did Small Pocks and Moss Corner instead (Clay didn't want to climb in the rain....what a wuss... ;-). It stopped raining for the entire time I was climbing, and then started again in earnest as soon as we started packing up to go. Couldn't ask for better timing!
The Bay from the top of Moss Corner:


Sunday was cold, but absolutely beautiful in the sun, which was everywhere. So, time for the "big one", my #1 goal of the trip, Kawakawa Bay. A 5km hike in from Kinloch saw us at the base of the Cracks Wall, in the sun and mostly out of the wind. I was in heaven! Two stellar climbs later (The Gecko Groove and Outboard Crack, both 3 star routes IMO), with shredded hands, it was time to call it a day....and a trip.
The Bluff from the top of The Gecko Groove:


Clay cleaning The Gecko Groove:


And then we saw this beautiful piece of rock on the way home. No idea which crag it is though (or if climbing is even allowed).

Beer review list - page 2

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Anchor Liberty Ale (8)
- Anchor Brewing Company, US - 04/07/07 -
A very good Pale Ale. A bit light, but with distinctive American (I assume) fruity flavor.



Anchor Porter (8)
- Anchor Brewing Company, US - 04/07/07 -
I ashamed to admit, but I was very pleasantly surprised by this beer. Not necessarily super special, but very good none-the-less.


Baroona Weiss Bier (4)
- Waiheke Island Brewery, NZ - 14/06/07 -
Cloudy Wheat? Looked pretty clear to me. Sort of tastes a tiny bit like a wheat beer, but mostly just bubbly and non-descript.


Baroona Full Malty (5)
- Waiheke Island Brewery, NZ - 12/06/07 -
Supposedly a "Trappist Style", but sure didn't taste trappist to me...by any stretch of the imagination! Was actually very light and refreshing, like a non-sweet fizzy drink. Kind of hard to think of it as a beer though...

Bays Brewery Amadeus (8)
- Bays Brewery, NZ - 12/06/07 -
Called a Premium Pilsener, I suppose it is brewed accordingly, but...it doesn't taste like any Pilsner I have ever had! It isn't particularly bitter, and has some pretty strong walnut and peaches undertones. Very peculiar, and I really liked it, but not necessarily for everyone.

Croucher Hef (7)
- Croucher Brewing Co., NZ - 03/07/07 -
Couldn't really decide on what style wheat beer this should be... Smelled similar to a Paulaner, but tasted a bit more like a Belgian style with a distinct NZ edge. Not bad, but definitely not a German style hefe-weizen!

Croucher Pale Ale (7)
- Croucher Brewing Co., NZ - 03/07/07 -
A good NZ pale ale. Similar to Epic, but a little less distinctive.



DB Export Dry (4)
- DB Breweries, NZ - 01/06/06 -
I couldn't resist, even though I knew it wasn't going to be good. And.....it definitely wasn't.


Emerson's London Porter (7)
- Emerson's Brewery, NZ - 06/07/07 -
Good enough, though not spectacular. The Stout is better.



Emerson's Oatmeal Stout (8)
- Emerson's Brewery, NZ - 06/07/07 -
Very good stout, better than the NZ version of Guiness. Nice noticeable oatmeal undertone.



Estrella Damm (5)
- S.A. Damm, SP - 23/06/07 -
Smelled an awful lot like Tequila. Overall, a bit more taste than many lagers, but still not great.



Export Gold (3)
- DB Breweries, NZ - ?/05/07 -
Tempted to call it average, but it isn't quite that good really.

Hogs Back A Over T (8)
- Hogs Back Brewery, UK - 26/06/07 -
Very very good. Strong, but with a lot of character and not too sweet.



Hogs Back Brewsters Bundle (6)
- Hogs Back Brewery, UK - 04/07/07 -
Definitely the weakest of the Hogs Back beers that I have had so far.



Hogs Back Wobble In A Bottle (7)
- Hogs Back Brewery, UK - ?/?/06 -
Good beer, a bit sweet though, being a strong ale.




Invercargill Brewery Pitch Black (6)
- Invercargill Brewery, NZ - 26/06/07 -
Overall, a decent stout, though a bit too burnt for my taste. The really "unique" thing about it, that I really did not like, was the over-riding oder and taste of Sphagnum moss.....

Maudite (7)
- Unibroue, CA - 04/07/07 -
I wasn't expecting much, and the first sip wasn't that great. But, after breathing in the glass for about 20mins, it actually became quite drinkable.


Moa Blanc (6)
- Moa Brewing Company, NZ - 14/06/07 -
Sort of a belgian style wheat, but not really as distinctive as the other Moa brews.



Moa Noir (7)
- Moa Brewing Company, NZ - ?/?/06 -
A very good dark beer, recommendable but not spectacular.



Moa Original (8)
- Moa Brewing Company, NZ - ?/?/06 -
The original, and still the best. Just plain a mighty fine lager! As a pilsner, a lot of other NZ beers have more to offer, but as a lager it is excellent.


Monteith's Doppelbock Winter Ale (6)
- Monteith’s Brewing Company, NZ - 04/07/07 -
It was alright.......I guess. Drinkable enough, but not notable, or really even a Doppelbock for that matter. All-in-all, rather disappointing.

Monteith's Pilsner (7)
- Monteith’s Brewing Company, NZ - ?/04/06 -
Along with the Black, one of the better of the Monteith's range. Unfortunately, it has a lot of competition from other kiwi breweries, and it doens't fully measure up. Well worth the price though, for a beer to drink at home.

Monteith's Radler (3)
- Monteith’s Brewing Company, NZ - ?/10/05 -
How can you screw up beer mixed with sprite!? Oh, right, they didn't mix it with sprite, they brewed the limes directly in with the beer....yuck!!

Monteith's Summer Ale (6)
- Monteith’s Brewing Company, NZ - ?/04/06 -
Basically, just another ginger beer. Not bad, but does leave a bit of an aftertaste.


Monteith's Tripel (8)
- Monteith’s Brewing Company, NZ - 13/05/06 -
A really good New Zealand version of the classic belgian brew. For the most part it tastes like a good belgian (which would earn a 7), but I gave it an 8 for the added distinctive NZ hop character.

Monteith's Winter Ale (6)
- Monteith’s Brewing Company, NZ - ?/09/06 -
Tastes quite okay initially, but leaves a rather metallic aftertaste in your mouth.

Moosehead Lager (7)
- Moosehead Breweries, CA - ?/08/05 -
A heck of a lot better than some of the other 'beers' that Canada is known for.


Murphy's Irish Red (6)
- DB Breweries, NZ - 01/06/06 -
Like its brother the stout, brewed under license here in NZ. Quite alright, but it takes a lot to get a spectacular red (which this isn't).

Murphy's Irish Stout (7)
- DB Breweries, NZ - 19/11/06 -
Even though this beer is originally from Ireland, the most recent I have had is the stuff that is brewed under license here in NZ. I like it a bit more than the Guiness here (also brewed under license).

Myanmar (5)
- Myanmar Brewery Ltd, MM - 28/04/06 -
It is a south east asian lager, like many others. It has a slightly fruity character that makes possibly slightly more interesting, but it is still a curry lager.

Old Milwaukee (1)
- Pabst Brewing Company, USA - ?/?/00 -
This beer may have gotten me through university, but it is still a rather (okay, make that 'very') nasty beer.


Otter Creek Copper Ale (8)
- Otter Creek Brewing, USA - ?/08/02 -
I am not sure why anymore, but I found this beer quite a bit more to my taste than the Magic Hat brews.


Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter (8)
- Otter Creek Brewing, USA - ?/08/02 -
I don't rember if this was a 7 or 8 exactly, but it was mighty fine either way.



Pabst Blue Ribbon (2)
- Pabst Brewing Company, USA - ?/?/98 -




Palm Ale (5)
- Palm Breweries, BE - 20/04/06 -
About as nondescript as you can get without actually being Corona. I guess that is what you get when you try to brew beer using just corn and vitamin C.



Pete's Wicked Ale (6)
- Pete's Brewing Company, USA - ?/?/99 -
I was never a big PWA fan, even though many others were, but that was also a long time ago. I did try one other Pete's beer at one point, and found it better, but I no longer remember which it was (and I don't think it is even offered any more).

Pilsner Urquell (10)
- Pilsner Urquell, CZ - ?/10/05 -
This is the real deal. If you like pilsner beer, then you will like the original. I had the fortune of living across the street from a supermarket in Germany, which gave me cheap and easy access to Pilsner Urquell all the time. This might not have been a good thing, as it almost became 'normal', but it is still my favourite. The locally sold stuff is the good stuff, with the crisp hoppy taste. I have tried the export version (it doesn't state that on the bottle) here in NZ, and it tastes like a continental lager, not a pilsner!

Pink Elephant Imperious Rushin Stowt (9)
- Pink Elephant Brewery, NZ - 03/07/07 -
Wow, a truly amazing beer! A bit of Wurther's Original in the nose, with chocolate and roasted malts. Just enough burnt taste to remind you that it is a stout, plenty of malt, but not too sweet. Much too tasty to be a 10% beer.

Post Road Pumpkin Ale (7)
- The Brooklyn Brewery, USA - ?/04/97 -
I wish I could remember the exact taste of the beer, but all I can remember is finding it....'interesting'. It was a new one for me, and as it turns out, the first beer from the Brooklyn Brewery that I ever tried.

Quilmes Cristal (6)
- Quilmes Cerveceras, AR - 10/06/07 -
Very much a bog standard lager. Very drinkable and not unpleasant, but not notable at all either.

R.A.M. Stout (10)
- Keweenaw Brewing Company, USA - ?/?/00 -
I am not 100% sure that this what I drank when I was in Houghton Michigan, but there aren't that many microbreweries there (2 to be exact), and this stout from the Keweenaw Brewing Company sounds about right. If it is the one I had, it was by far the best stout I have ever tasted!

Redhook ESB (4)
- Redhook Ale Brewery, USA - ?/?/98 -
This is probably a good beer, but didn't do much for me at all.



Rheineck (2)
- Lion Nathan, NZ - ?/?/05 -
It is really cheap, but there is a reason for that. This beer has neither taste nor alcohol (3.5%), and is essentially a 'light' beer.

Rolling Rock (3)
- Latrobe Brewing Company, USA - ?/?/98 -
This beer sort of has flavour, which is suprising for a mass produced american beer. Don't get me wrong though, it still doesn't mean that this is a good beer.


Samuel Adams Boston Lager (6)
- The Boston Beer Company, USA - ?/?/99 -





Samual Adams Cherry Wheat (7)
- The Boston Beer Company, USA - ?/?/97 -





Saranac Amber (7)
- The Matt Brewing Company, USA - ?/?/00 -
One of the better of the range. Do they still sell it?

Saranac Black & Tan (6)
- The Matt Brewing Company, USA - ?/?/00 -
Not a bad beer by any means, I just could never really get into it.




Saranac Black Forest (8)
- The Matt Brewing Company, USA - ?/?/00 -
One of the absolute best recreations of the german schwarzbiere I have had. My favourite of the line.



Saranac Lager (5)
- The Matt Brewing Company, USA - ?/?/00 -
Thankfully, they have gone back to the dark bottle. I don't know if this has 'fixed' the taste, but I do know that when they went to the clear bottles as a marketing gimic back in '99, the taste went really bad (from a 6 to a 4 on my scale).

Saranac Pale Ale (6)
- The Matt Brewing Company, USA - ?/?/00 -
Good? Drinkable, I don't really remember a whole lot about it.




Saranac Season's Best (6)
- The Matt Brewing Company, USA - ?/?/00 -
I guess this one varies year by year. I remember a pleasant spicyness though.

Silver Fern (4)
- Matson's Brewery, NZ - 06/07/07 -
Tastes quite a lot like it contains rice, similar to an asian lager. A bit disappointing, coming from Matson's.


Sol (4)
- Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma, ME - ?/?/05 -
Sol, Corona, call them whatever you want, it is all the same completely tasteless stuff.



Speight's Chocolate Ale (6)
- Lion Nathan, NZ - 07/05/06 -
My initial reaction was, "mmmmmm, chocolate...", and it was tasty, but after about half a pint it really started to taste like the Old Dark.

Speight's Distinction Ale (6)
- Lion Nathan, NZ - 07/05/06 -
I just tried this one again yesterday, and I will have to admit that it was a bit too much like the Gold Medal, dissapointing.

Speight's Gold Medal Ale (5)
- Lion Nathan, NZ - ?/01/06 -
Probably the most drunk beer on the South Island.



Speight's Harvest Apricot Wheat (7)
- Lion Nathan, NZ - ?/04/07 -
Quite tasty, and a great summer beer. Not spectacular as a wheat beer, but the apricot aroma makes it really nice. Originally had it in May 2005 in Dunedin, before they started producing it for all the Alehouses.

Speight's Old Dark (6)
- Lion Nathan, NZ - ?/01/06 -
It's more drinkable than most average beers, but it is still average.


Speight's Pale Ale (7)
- Lion Nathan, NZ - ?/01/06 -




Speight's Pilsener (8)
- Lion Nathan, NZ - ?/01/06 -
Good, possibly a little nicer than the Monteith's.



Speight's Porter (8)
- Lion Nathan, NZ - ?/01/06 -
Excellent, my personal favourite of the Speight's beers. I think it is a bit more like a stout, but I could be wrong, tastes good either way.

Speight's Samradh Ale (6)
- Lion Nathan, NZ - ?/02/06 -
Interesting, but not bad. I was a bit skeptical about the whole pimento thing, but it was just a light aftertaste.

Steinlager (6)
- Lion Nathan, NZ - ?/03/06 -
It is good average beer, doesn't taste really great but definitely not bad. I wouldn't drink it if a Monteith's Pilsner was close by, but defintely before a Speight's.


Stolberg Hooker's Strong Ale (4)
- Circle Breweries Ltd, NZ - 01/06/06 -
Average, at best.

Tasman Bitter (4)
- New Zealand Breweries, NZ - ?/?/05 -
I still haven't figured this beer out. It is cheap, but is sort of drinkable. And what really throws me, is it tastes better out of a can.

Theresianer (6)
- Alte Brauerei Triest 1766, IT - 31/05/06 -
A bit on the sweetish side, but pretty much what you would expect from an italian lager.


Three Boys Oyster Stout (9)
- Three Boys Brewery, NZ - 12/06/07 -
I think I may have just found my new favorite stout! Very tasty on its own, with a very subtle briny aftertaste that hits quite late. Excellent with slightly salty food like cheese and crackers. Seasonal, and very special, due to its being brewed with actual bluff oysters.

Three Boys Pilsner (6)
- Three Boys Brewery, NZ - ?/?/06 -
Good enough for a pilsner, but there are many much better ones to be had in NZ.

Three Boys Wheat (5)
- Three Boys Brewery, NZ - ?/02/06 -
How many times do I have to repeat it? Coriander does not belong in beer! This one isn't too revolting, but I still ask myself, "why?"

The Twisted Hop Epiphany (9)
- The Twisted Hop, NZ - 14/06/07 -
Wow! This one really surprised me. Nice and malty, but not too thick or sweet, even though it is 10.5%. Beautiful bitter hop finish that really lingers, and makes me want to drink a second...but that would be the end of my evening.

Trois Pistoles (4)
- Unibroue, CA - 10/06/07 -
Blech! I was not impressed at all. I expected a sweet beer at 9%, but the malt and alcohol flavours were just too strong. It also had an odd almost vinegary aftertaste. Interestingly, it started to taste slightly better when it got quite warm, but was still pretty disgusting.

Tuatara IPA (7)
- Tuatara Brewery, NZ - 01/06/06 -
Even though it was recommended by a number of people, I was a bit dissapointed (too much hype probably). It was good, but lacked body.

Tuatara Pilsner (9)
- Tuatara Brewery, NZ - ?/01/06 -
Probably about as close as you are going to come to a real Pilsner outside of the Czech Republic. Nice crisp hoppy flavour, with the typical NZ hops tendancy to be a bit sweeter in aroma.

Tuatara Ardennes (6)
- Tuatara Brewery, NZ - 14/04/06 -
Tasted very much like Hoegaarden.

Tuatara Porter (6)
- Tuatara Brewery, NZ - 14/04/06 -

Tuatara Heffe (6)
- Tuatara Brewery, NZ - 14/04/06 -
Not exactly what I was expecting, but drinkable.

Tui (2)
- Tui Brewery, NZ - 01/06/07 -
Pretty vile really. Leaves a lingering (I mean half an hour lingering) nasty aftertaste.


Tui Mangatainoka Dark (4)
- Tui Brewery, NZ - ?/01/06 -
It is better than normal Tui, but is still isn't very good.


The Twisted Hop Centennial (6)
- The Twisted Hop, NZ - ?/?/05 -
Not bad.


The Twisted Hop Challenger (6)
- The Twisted Hop, NZ - ?/?/05 -
I am not really a fan of the Twisted Hop's beer, as they all seem to have a similar underlying flavour, but they are all way better than the Hog's or Wigram's.

The Twisted Hop Golding Bitter (5)
- The Twisted Hop, NZ - ?/?/05 -
A little too light.


The Twisted Hop Twisted Ankle (6)
- The Twisted Hop, NZ - ?/?/05 -
It's strong and all, and doesn't taste too bad, but with so much else to choose from...

The Twisted Hop Raspbiery (3)
- The Twisted Hop, NZ - ?/?/05 -
It is horrid! They tried to make a framboise, and failed miserably.

Utica Club (0)
- The Matt Brewing Company, USA - ?/?/00 -
Still to this day the absolute worst beer I have ever tasted!! Maybe it was because it was out of a can, maybe it was skunked, I don't know. All I know is even MGD tasted better. Seems strange though, seeing as the very same brewery (F.X. Matts) produces quite a nice range of other beers (Saranac).


Wigram Bavarian Pilsner (3)
- Wigram Brewing Co, NZ - ?/?/05 -
All of the Wigram beers taste the same...like carbonated vinegar, only bad (I like vinegar). I am not positive if I had this one, the Lager, or both, but they all taste the same, so it doesn't matter.


Wigram Bavarian Pilsner (3)
- Wigram Brewing Co, NZ - ?/?/05 -
Same crap, different label.



Woodward Reserve (6)
- Tuatara Brewery, NZ - 01/06/06 -
Okay, but nothing special, especially coming from Tuatara.


Wychwood Hobgoblin Strong Dark Ale (10)
- Wychwood Brewery, EN - 29/04/06 -
Not only is the beer excellent, but the label art is really cool.

Yanjing Lager (5)
- Beijing Yanjing Beer Group Co, CN - 14/06/07 -
Yup, it's another asian lager... Not bad, not good, not special.


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