Ascents in Kawakawa Bay as Onsight by John Pitcairn

Continuing the dirty 'ol trad research project. Harder than it looks. Didn't hate it.

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

Bloody good, highly recommended. Much cleaner than I was expecting too. An easy warmup cruise up most of Raw Umber lulls you into a false sense of security, then get your runout trousers on for the tricky arete crack (or take a couple of finger size cams). Then it's time for the main game, up the black-streaked corner. You can step across left to a good rest, but getting back right will be tricky if that's where you want to go. Spent a good long while figuring out how to keep moving up on the left and didn't want to leave the rest, but it's all there at the grade. Easier to the top, then best rap down is to the Raw Umber anchor.

Pretty straightforward and not worth a star in my opinion.

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.

This is pretty good at the grade, a fun move getting out of the overhang.

May have used a feature or two from Fuggin’ Jet Skis, but if those aren't in it's a bit bloody contrived. Frankly these are squeeze routes anyway, just one would have been better, and this also arguably retrobolts the trad line. Meh.

Terrifying, stay the hell off. Filthy and difficult down low, objectively dangerous up top due to the huge detached death-flake. Much gardening and excavation for gear up the crack, veering left quite often just to climb on lichen rather than vegetation, then tried to stay off the horrifying huge flake as much as possible by bridging and climbing/protecting the right wall, with just one big hex in the flake gap. Topped out around the tree then anchored on the same tree as the hand line (not the shackles), which is quite old but needed for the sketchy walk-off. I will never climb this again, and recommend nobody else does either.

Some funky moves for the grade. Probably possible to make it quite hard if you read it wrong.

Some sharpish holds, need to keep moving.

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

A bit old school and good sweary fun. Facing the right way will help. So will being able to hand jam.

Flows really nicely, original crux quite fun. Then dropped G four bolts and badly burnt my fingertips. Ack.

Just walk on by. You'll be very paranoid about the rock by the time you get to the top. Treat everything with suspicion, and consider gear placements carefully, the rock is very crusty in places. Gareth chucked a few smaller bits off. Climbed in Gareth's slightly oversize pinks, but found mine at Secret Garden after this. Ran out of time, back to camp for lunch and pack-up.

Claiming onsight for the slab (previously onsighted the top on gear out of Lolly Scramble), with no use of the LH crack. Balancy, mono stack fingers and tiny feet. I rather like it.

Will be a good easy trad route when drier. Kept going into the obvious linkup with the hanging dihedral top of Korimako, which goes well on gear at about 17 and is excellent.

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).

Damp after rain and high humidity made it feel more like 18. Fun route with undercling traverse.

Grubby start. There's more gear than bolts, and that will make it more fun. Must return for a greenpoint.

We thought it was a FA to add to Flogg's haul, then Rafael informed us he'd done it a few years ago, and it was clean then, so guess not. Cleaned it a bit. Decent gear, 12/13 ish most of the way, definitely go up the wide crack at top before traversing to get full value.

Meh. Setting up short top rope for Rosie.

Pleased to get this, spent a lot of time balanced on my toes working out the moves on the top slab. Similar in feel and difficulty to the top crux of Great Scott.

Fun. Some tricksy gear and a good #3 RP at the top.

Bomber hand & fist jams and good gear in the first half then the top tricky dihedral is the crux. I'd forgotten small cams but managed to get a couple of small nuts in. Horrified to find I'd somehow clipped through my dangling safety, watched the nuts rotate as I contorted past them nervously. This is pretty good!

The crack tends to collect dirt and leaf litter but currently still OK. The crux straight off the deck is fun, decent gear most of the way, top dihedral a little tricky, top out a bit dirty. Got off just as the sun started to hit around 1pm, well planned solar management.

Really nice route with a thoughtful crux around 2/3 height, easier up until then.

Short but good, good pro, and clean enough. Balancy mid section makes gear placement a bit delicate, got a tad run out. A fun fight.

It looks a bit shit but there is some decent climbing here, and it's a decent length. The bottom crack is a bit seepy after rain which makes for an underwhelming start, but things improve from there. Not the cleanest thing around but workable. Loose flake out right around halfway.

It's definitely not 15 Martyn. Spent a fair bit of time with a nut tool and stick levering off the big loose death flake near the bottom.

Really enjoyed this, worth going up there for. The offwidth start is the crux, funky moves and can be tamed a bit by a high fist jam to pull up at the top. Plenty of gear is available up the top section offwidth layback and above. It's all pretty clean too. Big gear - take at least doubles of #4 cams, at least one #5.

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.

Climbed ground-up onsight, then cleaned somewhat, loose block in crack removed, then climbed again. Might get easier with more cleaning. Be wary of the possibly loose large block on the left at the top.

Fairly dull. You can jam the start.

Nice long slabby route, good moves, great exposure on the arete. Recommended.

Fun monkey dancing on good pockets out to the arete, crux getting onto the slab above.

Just what the world needs, more dull easy sport routes.

First 22 onsight, maybe it's a little soft? Fun climbing, just enough features to keep it all together.

Enjoyable, but bolting seems a tad runout. Not sure how it is supposed to finish, left to top bolt of Jug Addiction, or right into top of Hugs not Drugs? Straight up over the bulge would be harder than 20 for sure.

Flows very well. Not sure about the L/R variants, we started left then drifted right to the arete after first bolt, that still seemed 17 ish.

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

Straightforward jug haul, the routes to the right and left are better.

Great finish for the trip. Would say mega-classic if not so heavily retrobolted. 1st pitch a bit average but cave and top pitch are terrific. Led under time pressure mostly on gear with trad anchor below the chimney, used 2 bolts on P1 (still damp down low), 1st 2 on P2 (maybe some pro available), one before 1st overlap on P3 (probably pro but keen to move on). Top pitch more like fun 17-18 most of the way, engage your brain at the top overhang, sling the obvious thread then find the jugs. Wow.

Quite interesting placements, OK climbing.

Grant took the dinghy out, we went looking for Peach Teats for Angela, who started up this until it quickly became obviously more difficult than 13. Also still fairly dirty. A bit crimpy here and there, not a lot to recommend it. Feeling pretty tired after yesterday.

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).

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.

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.

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!