UKC

Right, this general topic has been debated to death on here... but I have some more specific questions

Lots of old threads on here say that the climbing is crap in NZ, but its amazing for all other activities. I want to do a lot of rock climbing

Can someone tell me how bad? Lots of people seem to be saying go Aus, but I don't want a 5 hour drive to Arapiles every weekend.

I am used to after work gritstone hits & want that kind of thing to continue - thinking Queenstown/Wanaka

It seems this area offers convenience climbing in an amazing location - as well as an easy 2 year visa. Also, this visa would allow me to work 2/3 days a week and give me lots of free time to climb

So basically - how bad is the climbing? Cheedale/Horseshoe is my local limestone, I wouldn't say that is world class, but many people live in Sheffield due to its accessibility. Is the climbing on south island better quality than this? or worse?

I want to take some time off, want to work and want to be climbing. The girlfriend doesn't climb & that's why I want a town with good access

Thanks

In reply to ashtond6:


For sport climbing? It's pretty good, comparable with decent UK sport climbing, probably better for low grade stuff, certainly better than Horseshoe. Not a patch on what you find on the continent though.

In reply to ashtond6:

Found you a project.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=69015

In reply to ashtond6:

I really enjoyed Wanaka, I did however snap most of the holds off the classic lines during a 10 month stay. If you fancy at the 8a called 'Engage' I can mail you the key undercut hold. It's the only place I have broken two finger pockets out of the rock...

If you regularly climb 7a-7b you will get bored easily. Harder stuff is rare to come by and often in really condition dependant crags down south that get a huge amount of rain.

If you want to do a lot of climbing and will still be down under head to Australia. Arapiles and the Grampians have a life times worth of climbing and are around 40mins drive from each other.

Regarding working a climbing in NZ, most of the jobs on offer are all basic, extremely low paying with long hours. You would be forced to rent a place to have an address for an NZ bank account to be paid. My advice would be to earn as much as you can in the UK and plan your return to work when you return. Take the hit on your finances by not working whilst out there.
Also be mindful of the time you visit, jobs get taken up months in advance of the ski season on South Island as every snow bum looks to fund their habit.

In reply to ashtond6:

Can't comment on the quality of the climbing, but can say there's a few guidebooks: https://alpineclub.org.nz/shop?category=17 - but as you can see, most of them are very small guides.

Here's some comments about the rock types: https://alpineclub.org.nz/climb/rock (quite useful)

There's a few places in the country with options for cragging, but just nowhere near as many in the UK. I think that's actually not just from the type of the rock, but rather that our environment protection standards are a lot higher (so it's often illegal to "clean" a cliff, as we have a large number of rare plants, you can't just go into the national park and touch plants, you'd be crucified - as a result only the relatively clean areas, not in national parks, have been developed already).
Secondly there are definitely places with quality rock that are on private land, but since there's never been a countryside rights of way-type act (at least ever since climbing became a "thing") nor do we have roads that go to every nook and cranny of the country, people just haven't seen these bits rocks for the most part. There's no such thing as an A-road through the middle of every valley - it's the rare exception rather than the rule.
Lastly there are loads of places that have yet to be developed properly. For example, here's a huge gorge that has apparently only 5 climbs in it, but it definitely would have a lot more worth climbing: http://www.thecrag.com/climbing/new-zealand/the-coromandel-peninsula/karang...
The tallest sea cliffs (~150m) in Auckland have never been climbed as far as I know, only once did the police abseil down (random fact: they used 2 flax bushes as anchors) to collect someone who'd fallen off the edge.

In reply to ashtond6:

I'm planning to go to New Zealand with my family probably this September for a year and I'm also interested in the quality of climbing.

We're hoping to be based in Christchurch (South Island) which does seem to have good local 'quick hit' crags and also world class bouldering at Castle Hill about 1 hour away plus a decent indoor wall in the city.

So the sport and bouldering is good but heard mixed opinions on the quality of the trad climbing. Everyone says gear is expensive, so is it really worth taking a full trad rack with me? Also heard it's best to take clean/new gear out (to keep customs happy) and then sell it before leaving - is this viable?

Interested to hear anyone's recent rock climbing experience of Christchurch (Canterbury region) eg how have the earthquakes affected the Port Hills and Banks Peninsula crags? Plus when's the next earthquake due!!?

In reply to ashtond6:

Basically, there is good climbing, but you generally have to drive for a while to get to it. I was surprised that given the size and mountainess of the country how sparse the climbing is. I understand there's pretty good climbing scattered around the middle of North Island. Christchurch and Dunedin are the only big cities with climbing close by really. Dunedin is within touching distance of Queenstown and Wanaka and has some decent trad nearby. If you want decent mountain trad - you need to go to the Darrens in Fiordland which is absolutely spectacular, possibly the most amazing scenery I have ever seen, but only walked there not climbed. Need good weather, a psyched patner, likely a long drive a long walk in and a bivi.
There's also some good cragging near Mount Cook but watch out for the Keas - they like tents and shiny things!

In reply to Jon Didymus:

Definitely take your own rack and ropes - they are ludicrously expensive out there. I airmailed some of my stuff out with a courier, and some as hold luggage. They didn't inspect my stuff, so long as you answer any customs questions honestly and give your gear a bit of a rinse before going you'll be alright. Conversely they might conviscate new stuff if they think you might be trying to sell it illegally.

In reply to Jon Didymus:

I currently live in Christchurch: generally a great place to live and very happy here. If I could have Yorkshire grit and Yorkshire beer It'd be perfect
The climbing isn't bad, I climb lower grades, up to about 22 (6bish?). Some has taken a hit post EQs, but there's still a lot. I can be on rock 20mins from the house. Castle hill not to far away.
There is some great trad to rival UK stuff further away: Charleston on the West Coast, and the Darrans. Skiing close by, some reasonable mountaineering in Arthur's Pass.

In reply to ashtond6:

Lots of sensible advice here. Very wise to come to NZ not expecting plentiful good rock and that way you are unlikely to be disappointed!

After work cragging: there are regular weekly sessions with the NZAC here in Dunedin I believe (usually to Long Beach), and I'm sure QT and Wanaka would work too. The Port Hills (Christchurch) could be fairly scruffy in places and certainly the earthquake has done them no favours. I understand the Port Hills are getting back in to the swing of things again now http://climbnz.org.nz/nz/si/canterbury/port-hills

Castle Hill isn't an after work destination - its 1.5-2hrs drive. Most things in NZ are a 1.5-2hrs drive to be honest - apart from the ones that are further away (e.g Dunedin to QT 3.5hrs, Chch to QT about 6 hrs). Add a sparse transport infrastructure and less of a footpath heritage (as mentioned above) and the experience is quite different to what many poms expect.

Having said all that, it is a wonderful place to live in many other ways. People appear to be significantly more relaxed and a***hole percentage appears pretty low. The scenery can be incredible, be it the rolling backdrop of the Maniototo or the peaks of Fiordland. The Darrans for instance are just wonderful, but it's big country, the rivers can be lethal, and the weather can be extraordinary (both good and bad). You definitely need a beaten up old Subaru Legacy estate that can be left at roadheads for a few days, and NZAC membership for the Homer Hut....

Re: gear, definitely bring all the gear you might need including all ropes and rack. Look at bivouac.co.nz for price examples and then factor in low NZ wages. Don't bring in huge quantities of brand new stuff with tags still attached (you are meant to declare new imports totalling to >NZD700 which is about the cost of a rope and a a harness here!) but if you declare clean, used equipment they will be quite happy. You can make biosecurity really happy by presenting lovely clean walking boots readily retrieved from the top of your bag and having everything that might have seeds/grasses/dung etc all cleaned beforehand. Don't try and sneak anything in, it doesn't work and it makes you miss flight connections while you have your bags dissected.

You can probably sell on your gear to other climbers or over trademe without losing any money (and you may well make some) at the end of the trip.

Hope that makes sense

cheers

b

In reply to ben b:

Thanks for helpful info.

I'll definitely need a family car for the 12 month stay. Is the beaten up Subaru Legacy Estate the vehicle of choice for climbers? I guess you can sleep in the back if need be?

In reply to alx:

Do holds break off regularly? Currently climb about 6c, hoping to use the trip to get fairly solid 7a/b

The job situation sounds crap, don't wanna work too hard...

In reply to ashtond6:
I broke a lot of stuff off in Wanaka, the rock type is schist which is like pages of a book pressed hard together. You can peel these pages off so to speak with enough force. Gluing them back on doesnt help much as the layer beneath just peels off.

Castlehill and Flockhill are two world class climbing destinations, up there with the very best like Rocklands in South Africa. It may be no coincidence that I wrote the UKC Castlehill article..

Ben posts some sound advice, be prepared for weather like nothing else, no H&S and a level of freedom to kill yourself.

Last peice of advice is wear sun screen out there, I can only describe it as the closest to feeling to being in a microwave.


Once you get past all this, NZ contains some of the most mind blowing landscapes on this planet. Nowhere else you can go from beach, to rain forest, to mountain glacier in a few miles, where you can go sea cliff climbing and watch killer whales tear seals apart. Lastly go for an evenings walk and be accompanied by your own 'fan tail'.

Btw have a mofo burger when in town at Wanaka

In reply to Jon Didymus:

I haven't tried sleeping in the back of a Legacy (my car dossing days are long gone) but they do seem to be some sort of (travesty of) an Octavia estate be aware the GTs also are the most frequently stolen car in NZ... about 1 a month to be fair but still! You get extra points for a Cactus or Kingswood sticker in situ. They are gas guzzlers but petrol is relatively cheap here compared to the UK (about GBP1.30/l).

The mountains are great but if you shifted all the walkers - from say, the Lakes, Snowdonia or most of Scotland - to Fiordland I'd be surprised if too many made it back again, especially if it rained.

I'm getting confused here - are ashtond6 and Jon Didymis one and the same, or are you both planning similar trips?

b