Ah, Lake Matiri Slabs. Beautiful location and .... Slab. Two known bolted routes, and lots of room of future development in the valley if your into long easy/moderate sandstone slab climbing. Can be climbed year round. Stay at the Lake Matiri Hut and make a weekend out of it... little tramp with a little casual climbing. Also note that the bolting is a little sparse, 6 draws and two 60m ropes will cover ya on the way up and back down.
Access is via the Matiri Valley track. Directions to the crag are a little vague, and involve 30 - 45 minutes of off-track bush travel to get to the base of the climbs.
From the Lake Matiri Hut, walk back along the trail towards the car park until the first creek crossing (approx. 10 - 15 min) [S 41° 39.724' E 172° 19.855' / -41.662066 172.330921].
Walk down this small bushy creek on the true right (on a rough formed track) to the first outlet stream from the lake [S 41° 39.719' E 172° 20.013' / -41.661983 172.333553].
Cross 20m upstream of where the creek meets the stream and then cross the second outlet stream at large rocks [S 41° 39.739' E 172° 20.050' / -41.662320 172.334165].
Now head more towards lake to make third outlet stream crossing close to lake (wade). Strike up the hill keeping to the large trees for about 300m before trending right up a rocky drainage for another 200m to arrive at the base of the slab [S 41° 39.845' E 172° 20.349' / -41.664079 172.339145].
Routes
| Reference | Title | Grade | Length | Pro | Quality | Operations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wrestling With the Razorback, 18 | 18 | 245m | 4 |
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Fully bolted with tru-bolts (in good condition as of 2014), and a mix of stainless rings/galv chains for anchors (average condition, If your feeling kind, bring some fresh chain & a spanner.. A little run out, but overall cruisy slab climbing with nice long pitches. Two sixty metre ropes is recommended for decent. Leave the rack at home as there are no cracks for gear.
Starts from the very right side of the big black slab. After clipping the 4th bolt, side step right underneath the distinct 'roof' to the belay hidden beside a shrub.
Bolted on lead
The belay anchor is off to the left of line of bolts, may be hidden by debris, keep looking... |
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