Wilkin River

The Dark Side of the Moon is a thirteen pitch bolted climb on a black cliff in the Wilkin valley, a few kilometres downstream from Kerin Forks on the true right of the Wilkin river.
The climb was started in 1992 by Clinton Beavan and Allan Uren. They climbed five pitches ground up, bolting on lead using bat hooks on the insecure schist edges. When they arrived under the overhangs they knew their bat hooking days were over. With the skills they had at the time, bolting on lead on overhanging ground seem too difficult. They abandoned the climb and went alpine climbing instead.
Thirty years later, in the summer of 2021, Uren took Milo Gilmour to the base of the cliff. With a more enlightened approach, that of using a helicopter to lift 150 bolts and 300m of static rope to the top, they abseiled down the wall establishing three pitches. They went back several more times recruiting various labourers. By Easter 2022 most of the hard work was done and the overhangs succumbed to a bolt ladder courtesy of Steve Fortune.
In October 2022 the first ascent was made by Jochen Lenfert and Rike Andree. Uren, Gilmour and Fortune also made an attempt but had to retreat after Gilmour took a fall injuring his back after a hold broke.
The wall is compact grey schist, with a high concentration of quartz of exceptional quality for its size. But be aware due to freeze thaw and the friable nature of schist foot and hand holds can break. Just because the route is fully bolted it isn’t a sport climb. Injuring yourself on the wall would be serious, with rescue difficult.
As of writing the route hasn’t had a clean free ascent, an ascent by walking in and out, an ascent by walking in and out in a day, an ascent where the bolt ladder has been freed etc… .
The cliff faces north, so the best time to climb will be spring and autumn. Summer would be too hot. After a few days of rain there are numerous seepage lines that affect the climbing. A day or two of full sun may be needed to dry these.
Access:
There is a marked track to the base of the climb that starts at approximately Lat Long grid reference, 44.253507 S 169.068419 E. After about 200 metres from where you enter the bush there is a cattle track. On the downhill side of this track is a very large beech tree. From here follow up a faint gully finding orange markers. After a while the bush turns to regenerating kanuka and then comes out into a large healing landslide (this was relatively new in 1992). Climb straight up this to the top following cairns. At the top of the slip the track traverses left into more bush and then traverses around and up to a massive boulder. There is a fixed line on the true left of this boulder. Climb up scrappy country to the base of a short 10 metre slab that has a fixed line and a couple of bolts. From the top of this head up and right, squeeze through a gap between the cliff and trees and the route starts.
The descent is 50m abseils:

1. Abseil pitch 13.
2. Abseil to chains of pitch 12 that are on a large vegetated ledge.
3. Abseil straight down for 50 m to a bolt and piton anchor
4. Abseil to top of bolt ladder.
5. Abseil down bolt ladder into trees to slab keep going until you come to big tree on ledge
6. Abseil straight down over edge of overhang to anchor at top of pitch 3.
7. Abseil to top of pitch 2.
8. Abseil to ground.
   On the last abseil there is an area of large flakes. On first inspection they look terrifyingly loose, but seem to be hanging in there. However with time and freeze thaw there is no guarantee they won’t break off. It's best, once off the abseil, to climb back up to the start of the climb to stay clear of any rock fall that could be initiated by the next abseiler.