This all-season crag is particularly pleasant on sunny winter days and warm summer evenings. Pearly Gates features fun multipitch routes on top quality rock, similar in nature to sandstone. Recommended rack is 12 quickdraws, 2 long runners and a 60m rope (two ropes are needed to rap from some routes).
About 25km past the Treble Cone entrance, the Matukituki River forks at Cameron Flat. This narrow cliff can be seen above the road on its south side, opposite Hells Gate (the huge rock wall on the true left of the Matukituki River). Walk up the hill about 50m to the bottom toe of the cliff.
Routes
Reference | Title | Grade | Length | Pro | Quality | Alert | Operations |
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1 | 1Jungle Boogie, 21 | 21 | 70m | 14 | |||
P1: (16) Start on left arête, then climb a short mossy section and go right to the anchor. P2: (21) Continue face climbing up the black wall. P3: (20) Go left and up the steep wall, then back right to anchors.
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2 | 2Kuné Club, 21 | 21 | 50m | 9 | |||
P1: (21) Climb the black overhang in the centre of the wall to a short layback crack. P2: (18) Angle up and left on friable rock to the Jungle Boogie anchor.
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3 | 3Hip’s Route, 21 | 21 | 25m | 8 | |||
Face climbing to a mantle move, then up.
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4 | 4Gecko, 20 | 20 | 60m | 9 | |||
P1: (20) Up blocky rock to the break, up overlap, cruise the slab, and then up a steep funky layback. P2: (18) Go left to exposed, steep climbing, then wander back and forth up the steep face. Two abseils are needed to descend.
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5 | 5Twist and Turn, 20 | 20 | 60m | 10 | |||
P1: (18) Start Gecko but angle up and right. Then climb bulges and steep rock to the anchor. P2: (19) A short pitch up steep rock, then a corner arête angling up and left to the anchor. P3: (20) Climb right and up the steep, shallow corner, with a bulge to finish. The route can be climbed with a single 50m rope. Two abseils are needed to descend.
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6 | 6Dux of Paradise, 20 | 20 | 60m | 9 | |||
P1: (20) Climb well-featured rock, angling up and right to the steep crux, then cruise to the anchor. P2: (20) Left up a flake feature to steep rock, trending right, then up left over a tricky bulge. Caution: Pitch 2 is 32m long, requiring a double rope abseil, and it is often wet at the top. An alternative is to climb rightwards near the top and use the anchor for Going With The Flow. Two abseils to descend.
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7 | 7Life After Forty, 20 | 20 | 30m | 9 | |||
Climb the corner, breaking left onto the face. now angle up and right to crux bulge and slab above.
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8 | 8Going with the Flow, 17 | 17 | 60m | 10 | |||
P1: (17) Start on the platform, climb right, then angle up and left to the anchor. P2: (16) Angle up and left to a flake, then back up right to the arête and face. Two abseils to descend.
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