This would perhaps be Christchurch's best crag, if it were next to the road on the Port Hills. But it's not. Mt Bradley (formerly Mount Herbert) is the hill south of Lyttelton Harbour, and the second highest point on Banks Peninsula. The cliffs are near the summit on the north side, overlooking the harbour. It's a long walk (1 1/2 hrs), but the excellence of the climbing has made Mt. Bradley an important crag. The cliff is steep and the rock smooth and generally solid. The routes mostly follow obvious cracks so jamming is an essential technique.
There are four separate cliffs: the Main Cliff, which is the lefthand part of the lower tier, the Right Cliff to the R; the small Castle Cliff between the lat ter two; and the Upper Tier, which is immediately below the summit plateau. The cliff has little shelter, but is very sunny and is best avoided on a hot summer day. Drying is relatively slow.
ACCESS NOTE: as of 2022, land ownership of the Mt Bradley crag has transferred to the Te Ahu Pātiki Charitable Trust. The trust aims to preserve the ecological and recreational values of the Mt Herbert and Mt Bradley areas. For the time being, climbing remains permitted, but the trust has requested advice regarding an appropriate long-term plan for the crag.
Thick gorse and native scrub regeneration in recent years has made access difficult to all but the Main Wall and immediate surrounds (best access to the crag is by picking the least scrubby line through grassland then boulderfields from almost directly below the White Wizard area). The 'easy descent gully' is now a serious gorse and scrub bash and abseiling from the top of routes like White Wizard is likely the better strategy. Many of the older less frequented crack routes now contain nationally or regionally rare plant species that are elsewhere falling victim to the gorse. In this context, excavation of plants from cracks to enable an occasional visitor to climb an old previously ascended route is hardly justified (and unlikely to endear climbers to the new land managers). Climbs in the classic White Wizard area remain generally clean and excellent; this area is the logical place for climbing to continue.
| Type | Title | Link to edit content |
|---|---|---|
| Wall | The Upper Tier (7 routes) | |
| Wall | small upper wall (2 routes) | |
| Wall | Yoyo Wall (10 routes) | |
| Wall | Taniwha Wall (9 routes) | |
| Wall | Main Wall (31 routes) | |
| Wall | The Castle (12 routes) | |
| Wall | Right Cliff (22 routes) |
Comments
Access to the crag is best
Access to the crag is best gained from the farm track just north (and about 150m below; 15min). It involves a bit of scrub bashing and it is best to head for the boulders at the bottom of the main wall. The farm track continues to Packhorse hut (30min).
Topo Added
Topo Added
child change
child change