Left Cliff

The Feb 22nd Earthquake has caused major damage at the crag! There has been rockfall in a number of places. THERE ARE STILL PLENTY OF LOOSE ROCKS TOTTERING ABOUT THESE CRAGS.! Care and good judgement is needed when climbing here.

The description, topos and routes have not yet been fully updated with regards to earthquake damage as at March 2022.

Orientation
Some climbs are marked by painted initials to help to identify them. On the Left Cliff, Right One (19) is a fairly obvious crack and corner beside an overhanging prow. Around a bit is the overhanging jam crack Blood (17), with Mike's Climb (16) a vertical crack just right. On the next section is Velvet Toes (20), a thin crack on a vertical black wall, with the finger crack Crazy Fingers (19) right a little. Adjacent is the distinctive leaning double crack of Stranger (17), and then a pair of steep cracks, Little Feat (18) and The Loom (23).
The first five routes are on a small cliff on the left. The first three start at a ledge.

Type:

Wall

Aspect:

West

Walk time:

5 min

Reference	Title	Grade	Length	Quality	Gone
	Michelangelo	21		0
	A few metres left of Dog is a bulge/roof, with a thin crack through it which is climbed directly. Frazer Munro, 2000.
	Dog	12		0
	Low-angle right-facing groove on the left. Small wires. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
	Back To The Future	18		0
	Thin crack at the edge of the brown wall. Pro from wires. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
	Times Past	16		0
	A metre right - through the bulge with poor wires and up the groove. Flaky rock. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
	Gripper	17		0
	Start at the base of the cliff in a chimney and climb past a bush and steeply up on loose jugs to the crack - adequate protection. Lindsay Main, 1979.
	Know Me Before You Judge Me	17		0
	Just long the crag a little. Deceptively steep. Start just L of Dirge, climbing up and LW on the steep wall, Step right briefly back left to gain the arête with crack to finish. Better than it looks. Pete Gresham, 2005
	Dirge	9		0
	The broken gully just right. Steepish at the bottom, but there are large though not necessarily solid holds.
	Scar Tissue	17		0
	Start in the groove just left of Ray’s Climb. Bridge up and surmount the bulge to gain the scooped wall; then at the low-angled loose corner move right on to the wall/arête. Adequate protection at the top and good on the lower section. Lindsay Main, 2005
RC	Ray's Climb	11		0
	About five metres right of Dirge is a wide crack in a corner with a bulge mid-way but easy finish. Ray Begg, 1977
	Daryll's Climb	17		1.02	1
	Climb the steep crack to a bulge and layback around. There is a bolt anchor, backed up with a long sling and/or cams. Daryll Thomson, 1977.
	Two Separate Gorillas	21		0	1
	Almost independent of DC. Start on the slab and place gear in the crack at left before engaging the overhanging right-leaning crack. Lindsay Main, 2007.
	Four-Stone Weakling	17		0
	Start in the crack with grass and scranble to the change in angle, then straight up the irregular crack with good protection and big holds. Lindsay Main, 2007.
	Hometown Blues	16		0
	Climb the crack with a fern to a ledge, and up the overhanging crack in a brown corner to top out on secure blocks. Mandi Power, 1977.
CR	Crag Rat	15		0
	The crack just right with good holds. Move slightly right to the ledge, then exit straight up a steep crack. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
P	Pincer	20		0
	Start a small rib and step left to the crack. Climb the steep wall with a wire, move right slightly, then up to easy ground. If you fall off and pull the wire don't land on the pointed rock. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
	Howard's Climb	21		0
	Start in a corner with yellow rock. Boulder up to the overhang then swing up on jugs onto the wall and easier climbing. Committing moves through the bulge with uncertain protection. John Howard, 1979.
L1	Left One	16		1.02
	The left of two cracks - deceptively steep, but jugs eventually appear. Good protection. Double bolt anchor. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
R1	Right One	19		0
	The crack just left of an overhanging prow. Tricky climbing on a steep wall to gain the crack, then committing moves with improving protection. Continue up easy ground to the top of the crag. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
	Itsa	22		0	1
	Follow the weakness past white lichen up the overhanging wall right of the prow. Move left to pull over to the top of Right One. Strenuous. Adequate protection. John Allen, 1979
	Henry's Climb	17		0	1
	Up a small pillar to the awkward mantelshelf, then follow the crack into the gully and easy ground. Henry Mares, 1977.
L	Lunge	19		0
	The thin crack just right. From the ledge at the base up the crack which widens to fist size; over ledges into the gully. Adequate protection. Lindsay Main, 1979.
V	Varmint	14		0	1
	Start at an orange wall and jam the crack to the vegetated ledge, then move right to an easier crack to the top. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
B	Blood	17		1.02	1
	The bulging jam crack to the Varmint ledge, taking care to avoid the Bush Lawyer. Finish to the right. Bill Atkinson 1977.
	Jon's Climb	20		0	1
	Awkward start up the blackish groove and over the small bulge, between the two cracks without using the crack of Mike's Climb. Adequate pro. Jon Chester 1977.
MC	Mike's Climb	15		2.01	1
	A metre up is a hanging block - climb the thin crack to its left which widens to hand size, then over jugs to easy ground. Good protection. Mike Perry, 1977
	Hammerhead	15		0	1
	Mantelshelf on to the hanging block and then bridge and jam up the groove. Adequate protection. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
	Mantelpiece	16		0	1
	Start below a pod with a ledge above a bulge; surmount the mantelpiece (crux - committing), bridge up and exit right. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
	Edge	18		0	1
	Climb the arête beside Mantelpiece, bridge on to the ledge, then over yellow lichen and finish past a block. The difficulty depends how much Mantelpiece is used. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
OE	Orange Energy	21		0	1
	Up the thin overhanging crack in a groove on brown rock until it opens out at 2/3 of the way for fingers, then left onto the edge. Strenuous but well protected. John Allen, 1979.
	By The Way	14		0
	On the left side of the vegetated gully. Clamber over the scrub at the bottom, and then bridge up past the vege to a small overhang. Continue up the crack to exit. Lindsay Main, 2008.
	Orange Toes	16		0
	3m R of Orange Energy. The curving left-facing corner, with obvious long jammed block. At the final roof move R, then back L above roof and up groove. Alan Hill, 2003
	A Pleasant Easterly	17		0
	About three metres right – the central of three short buttresses. Place gear in the crack on the left before committing to the pull over on to the ledge. Continue up the arête and easier ground to finish. Joe Arts, 2008
	Gale Force	16		0
	Between two buttresses is this obvious V-corner with vegetated ledges. Nice climbing up the central corner to a small jungle, then a short corner to finish. Good protection. Lindsay Main, 2009.
	Red Meat	19		0
	Further R is a buttress with a wide crack above large stacked blocks. Scramble up over the blocks and climb the crack. Step L and up to finish. Alan Hill, 2003.
	Born Again Carnivore	21		0
	Start just to the R. Climb blocks then up vegetated ramp R of red Meat, then layback directly up the thin crack/groove. Alan Hill, 2003
VT	Velvet Toes	20		1.02	1
	The next climbs are 5 metres right past a vegetated area A thin crack line on a short black wall. Start in a small recess and use face holds following the crack line. Exit directly, or rightward using the top edge. Good wires at the top. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
	Short Eyes	16		0
	Climb the blocks into the corner, bridge up to holds leading right. Harder for those with short eyes! Bill Atkinson, 1977.
F	Ferret	16		0	1
	Over blocks with orange spots to the platform and corner, then bridge and jam. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
F	Crazy Ferret	18	12m	0
	The line where ferret and crazy fingers were, is now a wide double corner with reasonable small gear. Finish up right towards the top of Stranger. It might be possible for a brave climber to straighten this line up at the top at a harder grade. Felix Collins 2/3/2022.
	Crazy Fingers	20		1.02	1	1
	From the Ferret ledge traverse right and climb the thin black crack. Rick McGregor, 1979
	Crazy Fingers Direct	22		0	1
	Direct start straight up the crack without using the Ferret block. There are small holds to the right. Brian Fish, 1980.
	Green Poultice Direct	23		0	1
	Climb the arête right of Crazy Fingers until a diagonal thin crack leads into the top of Stranger. One bolt. Good luck. Ton Snelder.
	Thunderbirds Are Go	21		0
	Climb the crack in the wall left of Stranger directly, joining Stranger near the top. Protection is subtle but not absent. Dave Fearnley, 1982 This climb is not gone, but the top is radically altered. The main body of the route at the bottom is unchanged by the earthquake.
S	Stranger	17		2.01
	Double crack slanting left with a bulge at the top. Technical, with an exciting finish. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
	The Song Remains The Same	21		0
	Climb the arête right of Stranger, keeping to the left until about 3/4 of the way up In The Night. Share a few moves with this climb then move back left. Protection is from the climbs on each side. John Barnes, 1987
IN	In The Night	22		2.01
	A classic bridging problem - the overhanging left-leaning groove starting from a grassy ledge. Sustained. Committing moves on the lower half, but protection is good on the top section. John Allen, 1979.
	Moon River	24		0
	Hard climbing up the overhanging prow protecting by a very rusty bolt and piton. Dave Fearnley, 1985.
LF	Little Feat	18		1.02
	Tricky start to the crack and corner, then past grass and a small bulge to the ledge. Then up the left-slanting hand crack. Good protection. Anchors are a bolt and a large rock. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
TL	The Loom	23		0
	Climb to the ledge on Little Feat, then take the right-hand crack through orange rock. Bridging and hand jams lead to a strenuous exit onto the upper wall. Good protection can be arranged with a bit of effort. John Allen, 1980
	Botanist	18		0
	Much altered during the 2005 fatal accident. Start off a block left of the yellow lichen and climb the broken crack line. Previously you could bridge onto the hanging block, and step left on to a ledge, allowing access to a technical and committing finish. James Jenkins, 1980.
	Left Bastard	20		0
	The overhanging blocks that formed the gnarly crack have now gone.. Finish up the crack in the overhanging wall above. Good protection. Rick McGregor, 1979.
RB	Rubber Bullet	20		0	1
	The right-hand crack. Climb As previously, the main block has gone. From the ledge continue up on steep broken rock. John Allen 1979
	Colossal Youth	24		0	1
	Start at the fence. Hard climbing over the overlap, then move up and right to finish using holds on the right edge. Serious - one old bolt. Dave Fearnley, 1982.
	Wrong Un	16		0
	Right of the fence are a number of short climbs of lesser quality, usually soloed. The black and yellow wall beside the fence to a right-facing corner. Awkward move into the crack to finish up blocks. Often wet. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
	Flowerpot Man	18		0
	Thin moves up a seam a metre right of Wrong Un. John Allen, 1979.
	Bush	15		0
	Up the crack beside the rib and left to join Flowerpot Man. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
	Black	17		0	1
	Climb the crack in the groove to a vegetated ledge. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
	Slip	16		0	1
	Up the crack with green lichen to loose blocks at the ledge. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
	Jam	14		0
	Hand-jam practice. The short crack leading to the ledge. Bill Atkinson, 1977.
	Grebe	12		0
	Bridging and jugs around a wide crack and blocks, then up the recessed corner. Bill Atkinson, 1977

Attribution:

By Lindsay Main

This place appears in

Port Hills Climbing

1998

South Island Rock

2004

UUID:

52a26ee9-767e-4bf2-bc73-0942dc2f4a99

(60 routes)

This place appears in