Climbing is currently (2021) possible at Lakeside Wall after it was closed for several years. The access path is still reasonably overgrown. This is a fantastic winter crag and one of the best mid-20s walls in the North Island, especially if you like long, technical routes.
From the carpark, continue up the tarsealed road to the top of the hill and the old village site. Take the second tarsealed road on your left, then almost immediately head into the bush towards the lake via a rough track. Follow the track steeply down beside an old water pipe. The first route you come to is about 50m from the base of the hill. Routes are described from left to right.
Routes
Reference | Title | Grade | Length | Pro | Quality | Alert | Operations |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Beauty and the Beast, 27 | 27 | 22m | 4 | ||||
Both pitches were destroyed by a pine tree root in 2019.
|
|||||||
Brass Monkey, 22 | 22 | 40m | 2 | ||||
|
|||||||
Short Span, 22 | 22 | 20m | 8 | ||||
|
|||||||
Love Handle Expansion, 24 | 24 | 26m | 10 | ||||
|
|||||||
Rule of the Red Rose, 29 | 29 | 26m | 10 | ||||
|
|||||||
Stalemate, 28 | 28 | 26m | 10 | ||||
|
|||||||
Under the Thumb, 20 | 20 | 13m | 4 | ||||
Mantle on to the ledge, then climb the groove and arete above to finish at half height (the starting belay of Thumbs Up). |
|||||||
Finger and Thumbs, 25 | 25 | 12m | 4 | ||||
|
|||||||
Thumbs Up, 24 | 24 | 13m | 5 | ||||
|
|||||||
Outside Edge, 26 | 26 | 25m | 8 | ||||
|
|||||||
Collective Agreement, 26 | 26 | 25m | 11 | ||||
|
|||||||
Rolling Stoppages, 26 | 26 | 18m | 6 | ||||
|
|||||||
Industrial Action, 22 | 22 | 22m | 10 | ||||
This route has a bit of everything, beginning with a crack section and continuing up the wall on rounded holds into the base of a corner. Move right onto the arete and climb to below the headwall. Here, either step left into the groove or pull through direct (crux). Now move right again into the overhanging groove and up to the anchors. |
|||||||
Route Rustlers, 25 | 25 | 25m | 9 | ||||
|
|||||||
Morning Glory, 27 | 27 | 20m | 7 | ||||
Glorious. Climb the groove and right arete to half height – with crux sequences between the third and fourth bolts. There's strenuous bridging in the upper groove, then make a break for the steep finish on big holds. |
|||||||
Drop Me in the Water, 25 | 25 | 25m | 8 | ||||
Bridge up the groove to the small roof, then move right over the roof and onto the face. Sustained technical climbing for the next 15m to a small ledge and no hands rest. Another difficult move gets you established under the roof out right, and from here move back left up to the belay. |
|||||||
Man Overboard, 26 | 26 | 10m | 4 | ||||
|
|||||||
All Above Board, 23 | 23 | 30m | 7 | ||||
Tricky to start and tricky to finish. Climb the corner to the third bolt then traverse left onto the belay ledge.
A hard start moving left and through the small overhang into the groove is followed by excellent climbing all the way to the top. |
|||||||
Wet Under Foot, 25 | 25 | 28m | 12 | ||||
|
|||||||
Checkmate, 26 | 26 | 28m | 10 | ||||
|
|||||||
Daylight Robbery, 25 | 25 | 30m | 11 | ||||
|