Clean slabs and appealing cracklines beckon amidst the vegetation.
Routes 1 to 9 are short, generally enjoyable climbs on the smaller triangular buttress to the left that extends halfway up the cliff. Access to the top, and descent, is by scrambling around to the left.
Routes 10 to 14 begin from the top of this buttress. An abseil descent is possible from the top of Ta-Lo, otherwise scramble down vegetated banks at either far end of the cliff (the west end is better).
Altitude:
1300m
Type:
Wall
Aspect:
North
Walk time:
30 min
Access:
Follow the main track to a point just beyond where it is joined by the track from Whakapapa village. A faint track then leads up a dry stream bed towards the cliffs.
| Reference | Title | Grade | Length | Quality | Bolts | Gone | Natural pro | Edit link | ||
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| 1 | Lic-Pa | 12 | 15m |
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Climb from the toe of the buttress up one of the grooves – or via blocky ledges just to the left – to a good belay stance at the base of the upper headwall.
Noel Sissons, Mary Atkinson, Graeme Dingle, 1972
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| 2 | Thin Crack | 16 | 15m |
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The thin crack in the left wall of the obvious peapod groove. Then easy ground to the top.
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| 3 | Pepod | 15 | 15m |
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The peapod groove itself is climbed by bridging and using holds on the edges.
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| 4 | Karitane Smiles | 16 | 15m |
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A left-facing corner is capped by a small roof. Above this is a narrow groove.
Chris Morris, 9 April 1989
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| 5 | Complan | 16 | 15m |
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Immediately right of Karitane Smiles is another short left-facing corner. Climb this until you are below the roof, then make a step left (crux) to establish yourself on a small ledge. Climb the short, wide crack above and then the easy corner to the top.
A more strenuous variation start climbs the corner to the left of the normal start, and through the roof to end up at the small ledge.
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| 6 | Between the Lines | 14 | 15m |
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Climb the twin grooves. Take plenty of CDs.
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| 7 | Up And At ‘Em | 16 | 15m |
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The groove is bridged to the top.
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| 8 | Slap Arête | 21 | 15m |
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An interesting and technical climb on the arête. Well worth the effort.
Grant Davidson (top-rope), October 1986
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| 9 | Death Wall | 13 | 12m |
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The obvious inclined wall on the right of the buttress. Cracks on the small face are climbed to the belay ledge. A fun first lead.
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| 10 | Ta-Lo | 15 | 20m |
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A wonderful route. Start from the Lic-Pa belay stance and climb the left side of the headwall via the twin cracks and a single crack above until a big spike belay is reached. Either finish over the spike and up right, or abseil off.
Noel Sissons, Mary Atkinson, Graeme Dingle, 1972
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| 11 | Big Sur | 22 | 20m |
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The wall and thin cracks. Trend right past a bolt to the overlap of Parc Lane. Climb through this overlap (crux) on to the steep wall above, and continue to the top past another bolt.
Mike Rockell, March 1988
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| 12 | Parc Lane | 18 | 15m |
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Perhaps the best-known – and the most photographed – route in the valley: it is the wide diagonal crack splitting the bulge in the upper headwall. The name derives from a scatological event on the first ascent. (Parc backwards . . .) In that original version it was a rather wandering route, starting by traversing across from the Lic-Pa belay stance. Much better is to start up White Sabbath.
Graeme Dingle, Noel Sissons, 1972
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| 13 | Arnold Layne | 16 | 15m |
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From the Lic-Pa belay, climb a series of cracks leading up the wall, heading directly for the wide crack of Parc Lane. Either traverse left at this point left into Ta-Lo, or finish up Parc Lane.
Rick McGregor, Bryce Martin, 6 December 1975
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| 14 | One For Di | 12 | 10m |
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Back at the base of the cliff, to the right of Death Wall. Climb the groove on fingerlocks and jams. A good beginner’s trad lead as it is relatively straightforward to protect.
Phil Marsh, Phil Castle, 10 December 1983
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| 15 | White Sabbath | 17 | 30m |
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Combined with Parc Lane this is an excellent route: almost a full rope-length at grade 18. Start down and right of Death Wall and climb the crack and corner system directly up to the Parc Lane arch. Finish up this or traverse into Ta-Lo.
Ray Button, Stu Allan, 1 October 1977
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| 16 | Terrible Time | 16 | 40m |
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Mmmm . . . Start up a sharp V-groove, then step left (crux) and traverse to another groove with a crack in the wall. Climb this, and move left onto the sloping top of the pillar to gain a chimney. Finish on steep vegetation.
Rick McGregor, Robert Staveley Parker, 18 April 1976
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