Ascents in Kawakawa Bay as Red point as trad by John Pitcairn

Stuffed myself in too far at the start. The kowhai is an arse and really needs a prune. Found even more gear through the "run out" cave section. Went and looked at the terrifying upper bluff rockfall.

Thin crack only at start. Great jamming up top. Borrowed Justin's black totem, perfect size for shattered bit.

Back to get it, a hell of a fight. Suckers you by starting easy then getting slowly harder until you're packed into a strenuous jam/undercling with very high feet out at the crux. The step around/down (maybe there is another option here) to the vertical crack needed a lot of willpower, then took an age to protect it while wrecked. The "trad belay" seems dodgy due to a hollow sounding block and limited options, kept going to anchors with solid rope drag, belayed with poor comms. Harder than Hecklers I reckon, need more opinions.

Towed a #5 up here but it's only really useful to protect the wide start until you get a good high hex. A few jamming/offwidth skills will go a long way. Stays fairly clean, and there's a bolted anchor.

Out here for urgent track safety work. Great long route, let down by a dirty top third (take a brush). Lowered Jonno then brought G up, time flew by.

Attempting to get a couple more in before dark. Body said please stop.

A bit of dirt in the crack dogleg. Put a nut in the jam there, had to remove it and place a lower cam. Skipped all the top bolts, finished to Korimako anchor.

I still bloody love this even after a visit to Arapiles. Still clean enough. Scrape the thin crack out a little for gear at the crux.

Getting a tad lichenous through the middle crack. Prob 18 in its current state.

1pm start, still a tad slippery in places after overnight rain. Couldn't get Jonno's nut out of Flake 7 on the way down.

Adventure climbing in failing light. Spiderwebs, bushes, lichen, runout, tree anchor, wouldn't have it any other way. Needed a wee swim after, brrr.

Right face in middle could use a scrub. Jonno has left some booty at crux if anyone can get it out.

Harder than I remember through middle. Missed the good foot out right.

Thin crack only at start.

Back-cleaned a #1 and #3. Doubles at those sizes would make sense.

This is so good. Took quite an effort after no climbing for 2 months. A clean of the right face would help find more rests.

Late start, a bit cold and stiff, foot jamming not very welcome. Neither of us feeling very enthusiastic, back to camp for lunch and pack up.

Group Sex Panther. Started up late in the day, led as one pitch with some nervy moments avoiding the loose block at midway. Settled in at sunset for a lengthy belay session bringing up three seconds, watched the moon rise, then we all had a headlamp strobe disco on the ledge. Back to camp around 8.30pm. Thanks to Matt for the extra rope.

Possibly the least gear I have ever placed on this at 5 pieces, but I was bumping the single #3 cam. The block at the bottom is not loose, but it is fairly hollow. There is a good 0.3 cam as alternative first piece just below it.

Committing. Up the slab solo until the corner and #1 nut. A cam behind the crux flake is avoidable with a decent blue totem in a small flaring slot at its bottom right, ball nut in a thin crack a bit below and right (didn't have any), and a nut in the flake at half height, then a stance and gear above. Top of the flake definitely flexing a little. A #4 wouldn't hurt at the top (didn't have that either).

Bloody great. Right face could really use a scrub. Gareth seconded clean, good effort. We could see and hear Katie and Joe up at the crux on the Odyssey.

Sun broke out halfway which prompted quite a speedup. Staying clean enough, though you'll always have to dig out the thin crack a little around the crux.

Lugged the trad gear out, warmup. Crack pretty clean.

Been a while. A lovely climb, great passive gear at the crux, though now not sure about that upgrade. Felt solid 18.

No cams used. Tricams handy to protect the top but there is probably some nut-craft available if you want to be even slower...

It's not 2 stars but it's definitely worth doing. There is sufficient gear in the "runout" cave section if you use your eyes and brain.

Final morning warmup. Bloody nice.

Warmup, allegedly. Nearly came off at crux 2, wake up!

Needs a bit of a sweep. Didn't take enough #3s (take two), managed to overcam a shonky 4. Top protects well with a #2 nut then 0.2 and 0.1 alien.

Used the Angela high-step beta at the crux, which keeps you out of the trench and more mobile. Great fun, good gear, nothing bigger than #3 needed.

Thin crack only at the start for a bit of stiffening.

Obligatory post-arrival run in the evening.

Compulsory on every trip ... jammed as much as possible, slung the block, one #4, one #3.

Eating my own dog food, setting up for a mock-lead for Paul. The kōwhai needs attention again, it makes things harder, the resilient wee bugger.

Bloody good, and the upgrade is deserved. 2-3 cruxes and quite committing. Watched the sun set while belaying from the top.

Vegetated down low, lichenous higher, needs a better clean. If cleaner I think it would be quite good, has a nice physicality to it with some committing moves. Mind the chossy bits at top, but there is gear, and don't miss the anchor out left (the traverse to that is protectable by a #3).

Much better after the clean at the bottom, but a lot of dirt will continue to rain down on it I think. Mind the somewhat chossy stuff up top, though there is good gear to be had. Squeeze between the kōwhai and the rock for a better belay experience, then extend yourself down from the tree anchor. You can rap off the shackles on the hand line and get down to the bottom of Taniwha Crackdown on a 60m rope, assuming you want to trust the hand line.

There's a good nut on the right before you pull over the top of the overhang, and a decent bridged stance to place it.

Direct start using the thin crack and face only gives it fairly solid 17.

One #4 is completely sufficient if you keep your eyes peeled for the many other options.

Nearly spat me off at the crux. Had put a cam in the best fingerlock above the horizontal, things got very rattly.

It's getting cleaner at the bottom, must be seeing some traffic.

Thin crack only to start.

Never gets boring

Back at the scene of the crime the next morning with 4 heavily taped fingertips. Avoided getting sidetracked into the top of Korimako this time, to discover the top of this is the best bit.

Superb climbing, bomber jams, plenty of no-hands rests if you look for them. Started to rain just after Gareth began seconding. Lowered him, waited it out with raincoat, pulled a second rope up and rap-cleaned it by down-jammimg with one hand (RH face a bit wet and mossy). Sloped off back to camp through wet bush.

Needs a bit of a garden again, probably once a year.

Straight up at the offwidthy bit.

It's getting a bit traditional to do this on arrival. Never gets old.