Ascents in Kawakawa Bay as trad by John Pitcairn

An adventure, AKA "Awesome Mixed Route Vol 1" or "Honey, Ibogaed My Kowhai". The start of DHMK is dirty to the point where the crack is almost hidden. Standing on lichen while digging out a crack ain't awesome. The second pitch (Iboga) looks great and is a terrific intimidating lead, you'll want at least doubles of #2 and #3 cams (which I was well short of), but is let down by some suspect sandy rock at the initial traverse and has a dirty loose top-out. We accidentally sent a couple of sizeable missiles down toward the base of Predator. Awesome yes, but a little dangerous to others. The hand line back to DHMK is a 10m pitch in itself (stay on belay) with dirt underfoot at start and finish, which further detracts (and it's shared with Guardians of the Galaxy). The top pitch of DHMK is much easier, well protected, airy and very fun for 5m at the top while sneaking out the roof.

Pitch 2 feels outrageous, steep and exposed with good gear and mentally a lot harder than Caveman P3. Worth the effort.

One long pitch. Took a while at the bolted crux bit, but got a good rest at the first belay. Trad second pitch is better, well protected, great finger crack approach to the final moves. A bit of Honnolding on the top ledge belay, then around the corner (bolt safety followed by ledge, unprotected step onto a scary wobbly plate, then solo up) for a celebratory peanut slab on top of the Bluff just before sunset. Back to camp at last light, fantastic. Can rap off on a 60m to the higher start ledge.

It's more like 17, and there is a fair bit of lichen regrowth, but it's a cool slabby lead with some nervy moments.

Great fun and a spectacular position to finish. A bit of lichen after the first belay makes things feel a bit precarious, but the rest of the pitch is clean. Getting dark, forgot to clean it on rap, sorry.

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.

Don't bother with pitch 2. And maybe pitch 1...

Quite good. Wants to throw you off balance up the crack, at some point you have to give in and swing onto the face. Not as jammy as it looks. Slung the small tree above the crack, kept going on gear to the highest anchor (beware of ledge fall).

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

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.

Rather good. Headed right after first bolt, some sketch getting back on line. Nose bolts a bit tempting. Surprisingly clean for a mixed route.

Aidan's idea, quite pleased I wasn't leading it, dirty as and very very chossy to the left. Some was sent down to terrify the belayer, much remains up there. Got harness gear well stuck in a small manuka and came off, removed it. Crux is cleanish, very balancy and possibly harder than 18. P2 anchor is a pair of surprise carrots. One strand of access hand line is getting a bit core shot. Memorable in the wrong way. Distracted ourselves with more track fairy work down below.

Quite a bit trickier than it looks, and really good. Some difficult off-balance jamming through the corner, then eases up top. A full double rack is overkill unless you want to stitch it up, but doubles of 0.4 thru 1 may be handy. The 2 bolts are just an annoyance.

Had led before as a DHMK linkup. Bloody great jamming and bridging. Only let down by a sandy unprotected traverse in and loose topout. Started up GOTG to avoid the grot, long sling on the DHMK anchor and the bolt before it. We sent a few missiles down. Fixed up the core shot GOTG hand line then rapped down that.

Place gear in layback? Sure ;-)

Abseiled into pitch 2 from the Jugzilla anchors. It's OK, though the crack is likely to be quite dirty. Would be a good beginner lead.

The bottom retrobolt is not too bad apart from the first bolt. Took the cave access chains off, a fall from the first crux would be through those and they are excessive anyway. The crack and corner above is great with a couple of cruxes, but VERY dirty right now, was more or less a ground-up again, will be back to clean it after winter. A must-do when clean.

A nervy flash lead from Grant, given the amount of lichen and crack dirt. We should have cleaned it on the way down off Human Intervention. I think this will be really good if clean, another one for the list.

No, it is not "better than Gecko Groove". The gear isn't either.

Rope soloed on a shunt and backup knots after an epic hot cleaning session. Still a bit gritty yet, needs some rain. Gonna be good to lead, might be 19.

Didn't have any big gear for the top and had to improvise with funky cammed small hexes and tricams in fissures in the crack. "Tree" belay is optimistic, it's a small wobbly bush - back it up with gear in the top of the crack or traverse to better anchors.

Interesting and delicate. Was coached through the gear placement before the crux by Matthias, thanks.

Really rather good

A grubby little route before breakfast. F'nar f'nar.

Enjoyable 3D climbing. Got about 8-10m runout through the centre section - doubles or triples in medium cams would be useful. Take long slings to manage rope drag at top.

Really good slab moves reminiscent of Arapiles, quite small gear and a bit run out in places. Mossy at the top. 15 might be a slight sandbag. Would do again.

Nice easy trad, decent gear, a good beginners' lead

Crux is the overhangs down low. Really good gear. Don't miss the halfway anchors on the way down!

Used to bypass damp first pitch of Mellow Yellow. Had no trad gear but dismantled draws to sling tree and spikes, adequate

With big gear this time ;-)

Absolutely outstanding, a must-do. Had been saving the onsight attempt for a couple of visits now, stoked to get it. Not as hard as I expected, there are a number of no-hands rests and face holds apart from the crack. Taping up is a good idea to take full advantage of the many great fist and hand jams. Eats hexes!

Ran into Gerard Tarr on the way down, who had been up completing new pitches above, Hecklers multipitch, woo!

Sandbagged Allan into leading this as his first trad in ages, bloody good job mate. 3 climbers and double-rope abseil to avoid the ridiculous traffic jam at the halfway anchors next door. Back to camp just after sunset.

Tricams are great. Then Angela led it!

Quite good. Decent protection is tricky to manage at the crux due to the shattered uneven rock, but pulling through the crux is very juggy.

Scary. Attempted as described in the guide, with no protection for the balancy moves up the slab until established in the corner 10m or so up. That was a bit tense, would probably clip the first 2 bolts on Great Scott next time. Thereafter through the corner the gear is smallish, stances quite spaced and not all of it is ideal. Got quite run out bridging and laybacking.

Really fun, nice thoughtful crux. Extend the gear below the roof and around to the bulge to manage rope drag.

Relaxing warmup after the dicey dinghy ride in against a stiff chop thinking all our gear was destined for the lake bottom.

Rather better than it looks. Belayed Grant's onsight first. Hands a bit chewed afterwards but.

Probably the hardest thing I have seconded, probably just as hard to second as to lead. Tape gloves would have helped. Terrific onsight fight from Grant.

A bit tired and dispirited after the fail yesterday. Wasp nest below the crux, fairly benign while cool. Had another go at the Great Scott crux while retrieving the draw of shame, that's considerably easier in cooler conditions.

Was going to setup a top rope on Rohan's Arete, got up there and couldn't be arsed.

Easy enough when you know how the crux goes. Nice flash from Grant.

Get on the damn sharp end. Really good. Fun start with a bit of thought, good jamming, another crux about halfway. Top is easier and there is adequate gear if you have small cams.

Nice adventure. A good bridge and jam fight up the start (#5 BD cam would have been useful, a #4 is a bit tipped out), then a big but easy runout to gear and a sitting rest. Finish is well protected and not difficult. A great way to approach Sex Panther.

Fun and not as straightfoward as thought. One small cam and lots of nuts, gear needed plenty of extension to manage rope drag, belayed at Elephant Hunting chains (shade) but could have continued. Angela led the short 13 to the top then we soloed (me in liner socks only).

Quite interesting placements, OK climbing.

Walked in with heavy trad packs after lots of rain and wind. Achieved nothing else for the day.

Harder than I remember. Could have protected the lower bit better. Stephen didn't like the crux much. Maybe we were just shit.

One move possibly at the grade, but is mostly easier.

Dodgy forecast but not quite raining yet ...

Quite dirty, gave it a scrape out and garden on descent, looks much better now.

Very dirty and now annoyingly retro bolted for the lower slab section. Did a little scraping of footholds on lead, tackled the crux above the world's dodgiest looking tricam, scraped out the crux crack on descent (it takes a very sane #5 brass offset). Needs a good scrub. Still really good, classic if cleaner.

After Angela's step-up lead. Fun monkey move at crux, good jamming above, retrieved the wiggled-in yellow totem and very overcammed 0.75.