UKC

Hi All,

Looking to do some easy rock / scrambling peaks in New Zealand that are ideally possible in day this March, but really struggling to find any good descriptions or topos.  It will be our first NZ trip and are limited on time, so reluctantly discarded trying any of the Alpine peaks due to the time required to make an ascent, unreliable weather etc.

If anyone can direct me to an online source (tried the ClimbNZ site) or if you were able to e-mail me a few scanned pages of a guidebook, that would be really great.

Would like to do the Grand Traverse on The Remarkables, plus heard of a ridge scramble on Taranaki.  Any other suggestions welcome.

Also trying to work out what gear to take, seen photo of an abseil on The Remarkables, but difficult to tell how long a rope is needed.  Has anybody had any success in hiring gear in New Zealand?

Thanks.

Did you look at the Arthurs Pass area? Lower and OK access for a day trip. But as with all NZ peaks in March, will be dry and the rock is mostly rubbish. Not ideal for mountain scrambles.

Remarks GT, yes.

Mt. Earnslaw possible as a two-day trip if you're fit and it's dry enough to not need crampons.

Also look at the Darran Mountains, MacPherson-Talbot etc: https://wilderlife.nz/2021/07/macpherson-talbot-traverse-darran-mountains-f...

There are good small peaks south of Aoraki/Cook (Barron Saddle guidebook) but the access usually rules them out for a day trip, unless they're near the road up by Pukaki. And except for some steeper exceptions like Twin Stream, the rocks is shyte.

There is a new guidebook coming out next year covering 'low' grade alpine climbs/scrambles as there's a dearth of info out there about what is actually feasible.

Gear hire is not great and is expensive to buy.

Will second a lot of this - the rock quality is terrible on a lot of the enticing looking ridges 

The kind of objective you're after isn't one that NZ is particularly good for.  The Remarks GT really stands out for rock quality and accessibility, not to mention the position and views.  The traverse of the Homer Saddle (out and back) is another possibility if you're down that way - it's an extremely exposed bit of terrain, as will be painfully obvious if you go there, so take a rope. 

The usual (anticlockwise) approach to the GT means that most parties descend off Single Cone down the south gully which, as you say, is equipped for abseiling.  From the top anchor to the bottom one is, annoyingly, about 33m.  There's an intermediate anchor on the right (facing in) side of the gully about 20m down but I really can't remember how easy it is to reach where there's no snow in the gully.

It is possible to scramble down the gully but you're quite exposed - there are cliffs below the easier terrain under the gully - so I'd suggest lowering or belaying the first person(s) down to the bottom anchor and having them place the odd bit of gear then they'd belay the last person down to them.  (Care needed with loose rock if you do that.)

For gear hire I'd try emailing MT Outdoors in Wanaka.

It's quite possible that it'll snow on the Remarks in March but it shouldn't hang around too long once the sun comes out. 

Agree with all said above.

There is a dearth of good descriptions of routes here, and easy rock and scrambles are not one of NZ’s strengths.

Some of the exceptions have been mentioned. Another, though it is away from any main centres, is the ridge of Dasler pinnacles. This is a short easy scramble with no rope needed, near lake Ohau, between Omarama and Twizel on the S Island. It does combine a scramble with a good taste of NZ tramping, up a river approach, with a decently tricky crossing depending on water level, past some classic NZ huts.

I quite enjoyed the Central Buttress on Mount Temple which at grade 14 isn't a difficult climb - about S 4a. A good 4 pitches and you scramble to the summit afterwards. 

https://climbnz.org.nz/nz/si/main-divide-of-the-southern-alps/mt-temple/tem...

Although its quite a trek/tramp to get to the start, but can definitely be done in a day, but as from the link, scree a-plenty as is the norm for a lot of routes.