2. NZ
  3. North Island
  4. Wharepapa
  5. Froggatt Edge

Froggatt Edge

(137 routes)

Froggatt Edge was found by Margot Harkness in 1990, a discovery that marked the start of the climbing migration away from Wharepapa South (Castle Rock). Luke Newnham was the first to put up climbs at Froggatt and kicked things off with Monsterpiece Theatre, Bete Noire & Sunstrike. Not a bad start! Luke then introduced the climbing world to Froggatt during the area’s first ever bouldering comp. Following this a small group of Auckland-based climbers set about bolting and climbing this expanse of unclimbed rock and within a year there were 38 routes at the crag.
When Pete Manning's “CNI Rock” was published in 1991 it included these 38 routes but described the new route potential at Froggatt as “modest”. With this most moved onto develop some of the area’s other crag’s leaving Luke Newnham, Ton Snelder and Dave Vass to put up some of the crag’s harder lines. Andrew Wilson and co then pitched in and added a long list of first ascents. In 1996 Andrew Wilson then published a guide for Froggatt which include about 70 routes. The crag was re-bolted in 1997 and 1998, during this re bolting a lot of the lines between routes were filled in and new areas like Slug Wall were opened up. By the time Dave Moorhouse’s guide was published in 1998 there were over 110 routes, not bad for a crag with modest new route potential.
The next significant development at Froggatt was not climbing related, but rather a commercial development. The owner of “Castle Rock” brought Froggatt and began to develop both crags for commercial climbing purposes. The new owner set about transforming the crag ready for commercial use, scrub was removed, lines rebolted and paths and sign posts installed. However, any plans to charge for access were put on hold.

Type: 
Crag
Access: 

The Froggatt Edge farm was sold to new owners in December 2020, a Waikato farming family with strong links to the climbing community. The Aotearoa Climbing Access Trust have negotiated an agreement with the new owners that ensures continued access for climbers. Please continue to be respectful and responsible when visiting the crag. The agreement provides the Access Trust with a right to register a legal easement over the crag area that will ensure access and management of the crag by the Access Trust even if the farm is later sold. The purchasers and the Access Trust share a vision of ecological restoration around the crag.
Froggatt Edge is about 3 minutes drive from Wharepapa South. From the school drive down Seafund Road and take the first turn on your left into Whatauri Road. After about 1km you start to drop down a hill, continue down the hill then just before the base of the hill there is a gate on the right marked Froggatt. Drive through the gate, shutting it behind you, and continue down the farm track for 500m till you reach the crag. The best spot for parking is another 200m further on directly opposite the Red Block Area.

New Zealand map

Map, Topo

Lat/Lon: 
-38.156764000000, 175.523672000000
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Attribution: 
www.freeclimb.co.nz

Places

Type Title Link to edit content
Wall Hold On to Your Face Wall (19 routes)
Wall Bete Noire Wall (10 routes)
Wall Heavenly Wall (7 routes)
Wall Main Cliff (26 routes)
Wall Echo Gully (4 routes)
Wall Red Block Area (10 routes)
Wall Slug Wall (10 routes)
Wall Bulge Gully (2 routes)
Wall Animal Biscuit Valley (3 routes)
Wall Little Spurt Wall (3 routes)
Wall Bring Your Daughter Wall (5 routes)
Wall Honey Comb Wall (3 routes)
Wall The Moon Boulder (The Dark Side) (4 routes)
Wall The Moon Boulder (The Australia face) (9 routes)
Wall Opel Faces (3 routes)
Wall Da Cave (6 routes)
Wall The Beer Garden (9 routes)
Wall Pupuke Boulder (4 routes)

This place appears in

UUID: 
563a875f-fde7-40a3-9adf-a0c1ea558318