Nodes in Ōtepatotu

It may take a while to get a grip on the name:"O-te -pa-to-tu", or "Ote" for short. There are some excellent routes here, particularly low-grade trad climbs which are well-protected and reasonably long.

See Otepatotu description

The biggest crag of the area.

The most prominent face seen from the road, and the first cliff accessed from the carpark.

Start up Alpine Arête, climbing to the left, and up a short slab. Leap across the gorse leftward to gain the narrow arête. Up the airy and atmospheric rib with good but spaced protection. Anchor with a long sling and walk off to the right.

Starts up the arête just where the track rises to meet the cliff. Optional protection in the crack on the right. Over the blocks and on up the arête all the way with reasonable protection. There is a DBA high up in the corner to the right at the top of Chimps.

From the same start move right along the dirt ledge to the crack. Intricate climbing at the start until the crack widens to hand size, then cruisy to the top

Just further right along the ledge – the obvious corner and crack. Anchor station at the top. Lindsay Main, 2012

From the main ledge mantle shelf up to the base of the low angled red arete. Using a dubious block go up to a horn at the base of the arete proper, after Br2 the climbing eases to grade 12 tho little gear.

Follows the major low-angle corner with shrubs in the lower part. Copious holds lead up the corner to a series of blocks which appear to be stable and probably solid enough to take pro. Continue up the crack – hardest at the top.

Starts at a small buttress with a low bolt. Up over this and climb easily to the ledge (cams for protection). Climb the arête past three bolts.

Starts up a crack left of the main corner, leading left past the small roof and under the large roof. Step right and out around the roof and climb the crack above (crux). Finish up the corner to a high anchor station.

Start up Paradise Regained and clip the bolt with a sling, but then move straight up on to the slab to join the crack just right of the bush. Up the steepening crack (crux) and over the bulge on good holds. Finish up the top corner as for Deviant.

Climb the wall left of the arete past a bolt, then follow the crack.

First protection is fairly high, but after that it's well protected. Climb up the groove 2m right of the arete, continue up the corner then through the roof.

There's a chain at the top to rap off.

The dog-leg crack that parallels The Shoveller at the top, to the same anchor. Finish over the block or turn it on the left.

Start up the crack to the left of the The Shoveller, then take the left hand flaring crack above that. Good protection.

A direct route between the cracks. Start as for Addendum (clip the bolt) and climb to the left of the corner, crossing the crack where it veers right and continuing up the wall to its left (pro) to meet a thin crack leading to the top.

Prominent left facing corner, start on the left wall then move up through the chimney before moving back to the left wall again. Exit either to the right or over the top blocks. There is an abseil station to the left dropping down onto the platform

Another link-up. Climb most of The Shoveller before moving right to the finish of Bygone Error.

Climb the technical face on small edges past 2 bolts to a steep finish. Sustained!

Start as for TUH with a cam placement and angle across and rightwards of a small triangular roof. Pass two bolts on their left to gain easier ground, with a run-out to gear. From the blocks finish up overhanging leaning hand crack to right.

Start up the corner past the gorse stumps and gain the crack on the right to skirt a gungy section, climbing past a flax bush. Then back to the corner for a squeeze chimney/off-width struggle to summit.

Begin in the corner with an arching hand crack to the left and a seam on the right. Once you get established above this, take the right hand crack and turn the roof on the right, then follow the crack to the top.

Start in the corner and move left with fingery moves to the first bolt; then up the arête past the second bolt to good holds. Place gear and climb the right side of the crack and directly up the slab with gear in the two horizontal breaks.

The fantastic crack line. Enjoy the surprise mantel to finish.

Hard start up thin edges leads you to a superb hand crack and an offwidth. Well worth it.

Up the seam two metres right of Oblivion to an obvious cam placement, left to the other thin crack and more gear for a few metres, then move back right. Pull over the block on the left to a good rest, then up to easier climbing. The original finish trends right (to anchor) or you can move left to the Oblivion dihedral and anchor.

This spectacular arête line was spotted and toproped as early as 1973, but it was left to John Allen to make the first lead. Start either up the shallow groove on the arête past 2 bolts, or on the L wall with little or no pro. Up the overhanging bit on the R, then move L at the horizontal break and exit.

The huge black corner prominent from the road, steepening towards the top. Since recent cleaning the start has become much harder, with some thin bridging. Above this climb past vegetation to the steep finish, which is more intimidating than difficult. Good protection.

Another superb slab climb. Start in corner, or go direct over first bolt. Five bolts (after retrobolting) and some mid sized cams for up top.

Starts in the middle of the wall R of C. at a small crack. Just below vegetation in the crack move R to a ledge and up the central one of three cracks to a sloping ledge. Step L up crack to ring anchors.

The arching corner. Spaced protection up the corner, followed by small gear in a thin crack on the slab to reach a traverse rightward along the ramp. Finish up the thin crack.

Up the first slab on good holds trending right past four bolts to the break (optional gear placement). Traverse right to the 5th bolt and climb the face directly (crux) to gain the mantle finish. Ring hangers just to the right.

A narrow buttress with a steep lower section easing off further up.

There are vegetated gullies on both sides that can be used for access, and one set of anchor rings for abseiling.

Continue along the track from the Main Cliff past the Right-hand Buttress, or traverse around from the Left-hand Buttress.

DBAs exist at the top of Reprobate, Nostalgia's Not What It Used To Be, and 3 Two 1.

There are vegetated gullies on both sides that can be used for access, and one set of anchor rings for abseiling.

Short route at the far left, on grey rock. Climb a crack splitting the block; then step right and up the arête over horizontal cracks. Short but grim descent to the left through the scrub.

Follow the slightly leftward trending groove for 10 metres, then move right to a ledge.

Goes up the smooth prow. Start on the left and boulder up to the ledge, placing microwires left and below. Gain the ledge, with good wires in the crack. Climb on the left and place more micros above. Continue up past horizontal breaks with cams and anchor to a large block at the top. This climb is well-protected apart from the start, but expertise with microwires is required.

Start at a small platform three metres left of Reprobate. Pull up steeply on positive holds (crux) with a small cam to the left to gain the corner. Then to the ledge and past a small roof to finish up a short corner and wall. Step right to the anchor for Reprobate

From the foot of Reprobate move right a metre, then climb the groove and wall above. At the ledge climb the groove just left of the prow to a horizontal crack, and then up the crack (crux) and pull around on to the prow to finish at the anchor

Slightly contrived, being squeezed into the central part of the buttress. Use the Nostalgia crack for the first piece of gear and then up to the overhang and pull through slightly left to the slab. Climb the prow directly (16, Justin Hall 2013) to a nice stance and two-bolt anchor.

Up the right side of the buttress to a semi-detached flake (protection), and straight on up past the right side of the summit nose directly to the anchors.

7 metres to the right is a wide groove climbed on the righthand side.

Climbs the bulge and easy-angled wall 2 metres to the right of RB Route

Four metres right. Climb the easy prow with protection from a small totara to the left, then up past a ledge with good cracks leading to the top.

Start on the second rib to the right and scramble to a vegetated ledge. Bridge up with gear on the left wall in a horizontal crack, but step right onto a block. Muscle up a steep crack (high step – crux) to gain the main ledge, and finish up corners and cracks to the summit. Walk down to the Renegade/Recidivist anchor.

Start a few meters left of 32. First pro at 6-7m, follow the leftward crack, then keep traverse to your left to reach a big crack that leads to the main ledge. Pleasant and easy finish to the summit (Probably shared with Four Steps). Lots of placements but lots of loose rocks and flakes as well. Climbed in a hurry while a big thunderstorm was crossing the Harbour...

Start as for 3 Two 1 with the small cam placement, but move left and climb the corner-crack. Step right to the ledge and over a block before tacking the headwall as per 3 Two 1.

At the right end of the cliff is a rounded arête or small buttress, climb this sticking to the arête to tackle an overhang on good holds. A small friend protects the start.

The left-most of the three detached crags on the west side of the Otepatotu climbing area.

It is shorter to walk from the road directly below than along the track round the base of the crag. Park at the turnout directly below the buttress, about 200 metres before the main car-park. Walk up the grassy slope trending left around the edge of the scrub, until an old rock-fall track through the scrub is reached. Walk up this to the right edge of the buttress. The climbs are described from left to right, so the first routes listed are at the far end of the crag, starting in the major right-facing corner.