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South Face

Type
Altitude
2m
Part of

This dark wall gives sustained face climbing on some of the best routes at the bay.

Image
Aspect
South
Access

Climb down the tricky slab below the Seaward Face to sea level, and step across to the boulders. When the tide is in you may need to descend higher up, down a short steep wall (the start of Maui), or a short abseil off the belay of Black Back Cleft.

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Routes

Reference Title Grade Length Pro Quality Operations
1 1Unknown Pleasures, 22 22 20m 6
1.02

  • P1
  • 22
  • 20m
  • 6

Climbs the arete left of My Pleasure Is Your Pain, on its right side (ie. the steep side, not the slabby side). Crux moves at the bottom lead to steady-as-she-goes stuff above.


2 2My Pleasure Is Your Pain, 23 23 24m 5
1.02

  • P1
  • 23
  • 24m
  • 5

Start in the overhanging scoop at beach level. Stick clip the first bolt; gear can slide in the dirty cracks and can cause rope drag. Sustained climbing, eventually finishing up Regular Rowt.


 The OG, 20 20 24m 7
3

  • P1
  • 20
  • 24m
  • 7

Regular Rowt regularised – the way it should always have gone. Stick clip the first bolt and start off the block below My Pleasure Is Your Pain. The pumpy traverse right, past another two bolts, leads to steady face climbing.


3 3Christmas Spirit Variant, 19 19 24m 5
0

  • P1
  • 19
  • 24m
  • 5
  • Trad

From the beach, this direct start to Regular Rowt is now superceded (with the first ascentionist’s blessing) by a fully bolted version. It headed over the bulge (crux) on trad gear past two diagonal cracks (#1-2 cams) and right to a bolt.


4 4Regular Rowt, 18 18 22m 5
2.01

  • P1
  • 18
  • 22m
  • 5

A justified consumer classic! First led with two bolts and a cam in the roof of Mordor. Five new bolts were placed in a burst of Christmas spirit on 25 December 1994 by Jon Rosemergy with Toby and Gwilym Griffith-Jones. Clip the first bolt from the ledge and climb the wall direct to a double bolt belay. Crux is above the fourth bolt.


5 5Mordor, 16 16 45m
2.01

A fine route, especially the first pitch up the prominent corner capped by a large roof. Footage of climbers on the route features in the 1977 film A
Nice Sort of Day: http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/a-nice-sort-of-day-1977.


  • P1
  • 16
  • 22m
  • Trad

The corner is a little loose, but good gear can be arranged under the roof. Around this and up the top corner to the Regular Rowt belay.


  • P2
  • 14
  • 23m
  • Trad

Trend left up the slab into the upper corner (2 pitons), then on to the top of the Pinnacle.


Comments
UUID
 
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