Coalition Crag

Start off the beach and follow the bolts up the best rock slabs until below the final arete. Up this then rightwards near the top.

Scramble up to the apex of the grassy knoll where Woof begins and then scramble about 10 metres downwards to the left to the obvious V groove start - (there is a bolt with chain links to the right of the start to belay off). Up the V and onto the slab above, veering leftwards into a hanging corner and straight up to belay under a roof.

Drop down from the top of the grassy knoll a couple of metres and onto the slab above .

A dog of a climb; looks friable but climbs better that it looks. From the ledge 2m L of the corner, climb past bolts to the anchor under the huge, ugly, roof.

Climb L and up from under the Doldrums roof and follow the corner to the Woof! chain.

Veer left before the top corner of Seventh Wave climbing a steep juggy wall (littered with dried bird poo) and get established under the roof. Undercling leftwards past two bolts then straight up through a couple of niches to a chain on the lip of the big roof. As of 2021, no recorded second ascent.

The direct start through the roof [3a], (Steve Carr 1999) is grade 23; for a middle grade classic, start up Fade Away or Roaring Forties before traversing L above the roof into the small L facing corner just R of the LH arete. Directly up the groove and through an overlap to finish up the corner. You can take # 0.5 CD to help protect the easy traverse if you're paranoid, otherwise there are plenty of bolts.

Intricate, thought-provoking crux through a maze of Wanaka-style incuts. Crank diagonally R on suspect jugs under the roof to the corner, and pull L above the overhang. Wind your way up the wall with increasing trepidation.

Great climbing from the ground to the chain – one of the best climbs of its grade around. Ape up the blade onto the L trending ramp, then swing R on incuts into the groove below the roof. Layback and bridge steeply through the roof, but it’s not over yet – there’s a tricky slab up to the chain. Retrobolted in 2020 to establish this as a sport route.

Alluring climb on very good rock, once the unpleasant start has been dispensed with. Start up the wide, easy crack splitting the L side of the lower Poseidon slab (a couple of CD’S for this is all the natural pro you’ll need), then steeply L and up through the overhang to gain the small groove. Strange moves are interspersed with rest stances throughout. Step L before finishing as for Roaring Forties.

'The best climb I’ve done in NZ’ – Roger from Sweden. Never too hard, seldom too easy, this classic simmers from start to finish – if you climb nothing else at Coalition Crag, climb this. Begin up the thin black slab on tiny edges on progressively solid rock. Follow pocks to the overlap, then sensationally traverse L on the golden upper slab. Up the crack, then step R above the final overlap and up to the DBB under the roof. Retrobolted in 2023, natural pro is now optional. Take a few medium/large wires and CD’s to #2. An inferior variant start on yellow lichenous rock 2m L (7a) was bolted to provide an alternative when water seepage makes the normal start unclimbable.

Really good. At Poseidon Adventure’s 6th bolt, thin moves (crux) into the small hanging corner, and eventually into the main corner, which is not quite as easy as it looks. Rack as for Poseidon Adventure. The 6m variant (8a) linking this climb with the upper section of Poseidon Adventure is grade 19.

Really bad. Needs a good clean. From PA’s 5th bolt, medium CD’s protect the hand traverse in the tussock-choked break. Nightmarish climbing sees you at the DBB at the apex of the Keelhauled arete. A couple of interesting steep moves lie in wait on the short bolt-protected second pitch.

Two equally hard sections – first, pumpy climbing through the intimidating roofs which loom over the lower PA start (take a CD for the break), then the awkward orange arete, leading to the Trident’s first DBB.

Could end in tears for visiting teams – this inferior variant to Headhigh Tackles 2nd pitch shares that climb’s crux before trending R and up to the R of gully to finish at the top of Hartache Arete.

The best of the big corner odysseys? Climb the small rib past the bolt, then through the overlap past a 2nd bolt onto the slab. Up the steep groove (a second bolt was placed to protect this section after the first ascent), exiting L and up easily to the base of the prominent black and white streaked nose. Climb the V corner L of the nose, clip the final bolt on a bulge capping the corner, and climb up L a further 6m to DBB. You’ll need a big rack for this one.

A worthy companion to Family Fun – great climbing in the main corner system makes the manky stuff before and after tolerable. If 16 bolts isn’t enough to entice you onto this pitch, nothing will (but don’t leave your rack behind). Start 6m R of Family Fun, tricky pull through the overlap onto the slab, head for the small V corner and move out L and into the main L facing corner. Good steep climbing before changing corners again. Rather than taking on the spooky overhangs capping the corner, step L to finish friably up the big nose.

Begin up Changing Corners until reaching the base of the pillar. Move up onto the toe of the pillar and traverse up and right. Then move straight up the arete and around right into the hidden corner and up a short crack.

You’ll definitely be put off Coalition Crag if you do this one first, but I have to admit to a perverse liking for it. Start at the slab just R of the R facing corner, step over the corner at 8m and swing over the arete then up the steep crumbling wall trending L at each of the 2 bolts; finish up the cleft. Take a few large wires and CD’s to #2.

Climb the Intensive Care slab up into the corner. Follow the corner on a mixture of bolts and natural pro to a cruxy finale out right.

Not particularly appetising, but it is a change from grade 19. Short corner with an overlap leads to a crack which takes natural pro (wires and CD’s to #1.5) before moving L to the Intensive Care DBB.

Sharp. Pull steeply through the sharp blocks to the slab above. You can link up with Intensive Care’s DBB if you wish to continue up that climb’s 2nd pitch – this variant is a bit more interesting than Intensive Care’s original 1st pitch.

As you walk along the railway track between the top-out of Intensive Care (marked by the large uprooted pine 8m below the track) and the Cutting Crag, look out for a single bolt and hanger. Rap 15 m off this and a small tree down to a DBB, to climb back out again on – Nasty, not cleaned.

Keep traversing rightwards until reaching the pillar. Up the pillar then traverse leftwards across the hanging slab to the far end.