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Pukekaikiore Lower Tier Parc Lane

(16 routes)

Place info

Pukekaikiore Lower Tier Parc Lane

(16 routes)

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).

  • North

    Aspect

  • 30 min

    Walk in

  • 1300m

    Altitude

New Zealand map

Map, Topo

Type: 
Wall
Aspect: 
North
Altitude: 
1300m

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).

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.

Walk time: 
30 min
Reference Name Grade Quality Length Comments Actions
1
12
0
15m
Natural gear required
  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
2
16
0
15m
Natural gear required
  The thin crack in the left wall of the obvious peapod groove. Then easy ground to the top.
3
15
0
15m
Natural gear required
  The peapod groove itself is climbed by bridging and using holds on the edges.
4
16
0
15m
Natural gear required
  A left-facing corner is capped by a small roof. Above this is a narrow groove.

Chris Morris, 9 April 1989
5
16
1.02
15m
Natural gear required
  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.
6
14
0
15m
Natural gear required
  Climb the twin grooves. Take plenty of CDs.
7
16
0
15m
Natural gear required
  The groove is bridged to the top.
8
21
0
15m
  An interesting and technical climb on the arête. Well worth the effort.

Grant Davidson (top-rope), October 1986
9
13
1.02
12m
Natural gear required
  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.
10
15
1.02
20m
Natural gear required
  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
11
22
1.02
20m
2X bolts
Natural gear required
  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
12
18
1.02
15m
Natural gear required
  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
13
16
1.02
15m
Natural gear required
  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
14
12
0
10m
Natural gear required
  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
15
17
0
30m
Natural gear required
  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
16
16
0
40m
Natural gear required
  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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