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).
