Grey Ghost Crag

Type

Altitude

250m

Part of

A rock pinnacle, roughly 200m from the track that crosses the saddle on the Ruggedy Mountains. With top access and three climbable faces, there is significant climbing and development potential.

The northwestern and southwestern aspects offer excellent and featured routes that are clean of vegetation, lichen and moss. There is some rotten rock (the quartz seams in particular), but once you have broken it off, it is solid. The southeastern aspect is lichenous in places and has some rotten flakes. There's a lot of potential for this face but would require some cleaning.

PROTECTION: Protection is poor or nonexistent on most of the routes. Scramble up NE ridge (vegetated) to create anchors at the top. Take a trad rack to place some protection (there's a bomber placement for a #5 BD cam) and you can also sling the top of the crag, which requires about 30m of rope. We recommend you drop a rope with alpine butterflies every metre or two and quickdraws attached. This will allow you to sport climb the routes.

WATER: The best and the closest water source is down the track to Waituna Bay. The map shows the stream as the first you'll cross on your way down from the saddle. You will pass some other muddy trickles on the way (not shown on the map), but don't bother with them. When you get to the stream, head downstream and make your way into a small gully. There you will find a waterfall: an ideal spot for filling containers and having a wash.

CAMPING: It is possible to camp right at the crag. You will find a clear area under the trees, on the north side of the crag. The area could accommodate 2-3 tents. There are not too many sandflies up there, which is nice.

Walktime

From West Ruggedy Beach: 2-3hrs with a normal pack, up to 6hrs with climbing gear and food.

Lat/lon

-46.77376,167.72685, NZ Topo Map

Approach

Walking south on the Northern Circuit from West Ruggedy Beach, continue until you reach the top of the saddle through which you cross the Ruggedy Mountains. Roughly 100m before the track descends into Waituna Bay, take a left into the bush, heading SE. Bush-bash for roughly 200m and you will find Grey Ghost Crag — the dominant granite rock pinnacle. Utilise smaller rocky outcrops to see above the bush canopy and locate the crag.

Add Place Add Route

Routes

Reference	Title	Grade	Length	Quality
SM	SMSmooth Moves, 17	17	15m	1.02
P1 17 15m Trad Starting left of the dominant crack, the route begins with a challenging overhang and mantle – the crux. From the mantle, make a number of delicate and balanced moves with positive slopers, up through the least featured part of the wall. Near the top, the route eases into a featured face. Highly enjoyable. No protection: top rope or drop a rope with quickdraws attached to climb as sport route.
AVP	AVPThe Ambassador, The Videographer and The Punter, 11	11	15m	0
P1 11 15m Trad Obvious easy crack; start in the crack then head rightward to the top.
UJ	UJUnicorn Jungle, 12	12	15m	0
P1 12 15m Trad Start in the depression right of the dominant crack. Pull over the niche and head up the wall just left of ‘Queen of the Dragon’s Heart’ work your way left of the bulge to the top.
QotDH	QotDHQueen of the Dragon’s Heart, 14	14	15m	0
P1 14 15m Trad Take the line directly underneath the left most heart feature on the North Side of the wall. Start by climbing through the ‘Y’ branch. Climb to the centre of the heart, then tackle the bulge head on, easy ground leads to the top.
C.A.M	C.A.MC.A.M, 14	14	15m	0
P1 14 15m Trad The crux is at the start. Route goes up between the two heart-shaped pockets and right of the obvious bulge to finish at the top. Named after Caleb, Asher and Micah Jourdain.
OI	OIAn Open Invitation, 14	14	15m	0
P1 14 15m Trad The crux is right at the start. Following an obvious weakness up to the right-most heart-shaped pocket, and then up to the top. The first route climbed at this crag.
LJ	LJLittle Jonny, 16	16	20m	0
P1 16 20m Trad Fun route heads up a blackened water-stain into the crux: a featureless area. Passing through this patch, the route finishes on well-featured rock. Named after Jon Weathers.
WiC	WiCThe World is Charged, 17	17	20m	2.01
P1 17 20m Trad This highly aesthetic route starts beneath the right-most arete and cruises up the quartz seam into a bare mid-section, which forms a sustained crux. The climb then eases into a well-featured face to the top. The name borrows the first line of a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins.
RC	RCThe Romantic Case of Dr Jessica and Bombardier Mitchell, 18	18	20m	2.01
P1 18 20m Trad Really nice climb; juggy, pumpy and overhung. Start 1m right of the Arête on the overhanging face. Follow jugs up the rib to a hand jam in the horizontal break. Keep following the rib onto massive ledge then head up the easy overhang to the top. Named for Jess and Mitch as a wedding present.
CSaBM	CSaBMThe Crashing Sea and Booming Waves, 14	14	20m	0
P1 14 20m Trad Start deep in the chimney. The crux is in the middle, where the chimney constricts and contains a bit of vegetation. Following the constriction requires a few key foot placements. You can avoid the constriction by taking the right side (Allie’s variant), which is probably a grade easier. Fun chimney to finish route.

Images

Comments

Attribution

Discovered and developed by Nick Allen, Mark Heighton and Allie Rood, with the support of Macpac, Black Diamond and Goal Zero. March 2019.

UUID

820778c0-bf78-489c-8a03-19b940e8c5d6