Vie in Waikato

Starts at a “half height” ledge system accessed via climbing the 1st 2 pitchs of 2-Stroke Tantrum, or by abseiling into them.

Abseil off the first belay point south of the summit (between two diving board shaped rocks), you head to the right (round the obvious ledge below). The start of the 1st completed pitch starts 60 metres down.

2. (19) Heads mostly straight up for around 30 metres before tending right to the belay point on the ledge 8 metres below the top [8 bolts].

3. (20) The top pitch is challenging with small holds and has an alternate finish using the bolt over the left (looking up) diving board - rated 22 if you feel like more of a challenge [4 bolts / 5 bolts].

Open book corner

1st pitch sport with 5 bolts to DBB

Right-most bolted line of the main wall, under a huge white roof system. Technical climbing with a steep start. Easiest to clean by top-belaying a second. Bring a 70m rope or a tag line.

1. 25m (24) Steep right-trending blocky climbing with no easy bits, skip the first chain anchor. Possible to aid at 20 A0.

2. 25m (19): Tricky moves past two bolts to a steep featured corner crack.

3. 30m (21) Continue up the corner crack (med cams and bolts) then trend up and left on chickenheads.

4. 25m (18) Slabby chickenheads up and left.

5. 30m (21) A beautiful pitch, starting with a steep, technical and sustained vertical face.

6. 30m (18) Interesting friction slab.

7. 15m (20) A few tricky steep moves to more slab.

Descent: Rap the line

Open project - probably 30/31 in grade. The bolted route on the impressive overhanging arête.

A moderately technical first crux leads to a narrow bombay chimney. Jam a #4 or #5 camalot over your head and then squeeze, wiggle,grind and grunt your way through an overhanging off-width to a well-deserved rest. Make sure you keep a few medium cams for the top section and mind your rope doesn't get stuck in a groove as you descend. Trad: Double rack to #3 plus a #4 or #5.

Start up the slabs broken by 2 small overhangs (cruxes). Then up the short headwall to a chain belay on Lover's ledge. This was the first route at Tairua and was climbed ground up on the first reccie to the crag. It has since been bolted in order to create a friendly access route.

“Peace be upon you”. Cliff: I re-named this climb following the Christchurch Terrorist attack. It is probably the best climb I have helped put up and is in a very peaceful and beautiful part of NZ, a fitting tribute to all those Kiwis and visitors that lost their lives. As with all climbing at Tairua, this route is the combination of many climbers' efforts, thanks to you all, we are one, Kia Kaha.

1. (19) – Are We Tramping Yet?

2. (22) - Dirty Hairy Frenchman.

3. (20) Transfer to the belay in the middle of the “Living Room Ledge” located on the south side of the middle bollard. From here traverse right slinging one of the large bollards, then drop down and traverse right along a ledge system for about 15m past 4 bolts to a stance, optional belay (recommended for reducing rope drag). From here head straight up the groove then move back left and climb the bollard (wild). Once level with bushy ledge, traverse left back to a DBC belay. An absolutely stunning heart in your mouth pitch. 10 bolts.

4. (20). Hard moves off the ledge then straight up groove,sustained climbing before angle eases up past 5th bolt then continue up to low angled ramp and DBC belay. 8 bolts.

5. (19)– Climb the headwall following the right-trending groove and corner, trickier than it looks. At the 7th bolt move right, across the slab to the DBC belay of Daylight Dilemma. 8 bolts.

6. (18) 6th pitch of Daylight Dilemma.

7. (20) Top pitch of Daylight Dilemma.

Descent: Abseil back down the route. Clip the chain on the top bolt on the 5th pitch and abseil off the left-hand side of the 3rd pitch ledge. You will also need two ropes to abseil off the Living Room ledge. Alternatively abseil down the line of Daylight Dilemma.

2nd tier. Starts from the anchors at the top of Not here to F*** Spiders (far right side of Lover's Ledge). Rad moves out right lead to a stiff crux sequence into a cave. Top out on the enormous Living Room Ledge. 7 Bolts.

NOTE: Falling off the crux of this route can leave you hanging in space. Make sure you know how to ascend a rope!

Descent: Either rap back down route (difficult), or climb up onto the Alien Head and rap off the Space Ape anchor back to Lover's Ledge. Alternatively it is a 50m rap to the ground from the Living Room Ledge.

You will need a very special set of skills for this route. Suitable for caver/crack climber hybrids that like running it out on gear. This is a roof crack that is usually running with water but occasionally dries out in summer. Extreme quantities of dirt add to the experience. If it is ever cleaned it might lose a grade or two. Enjoy!

Straight up from the anchors at the top of Are We Tramping Yet? to an anchor in the middle of Space Ape.

Absolutely wild! Start at the same bolt as Coitus Interruptus but then trend right up the delicate slab before traversing right over ledges to the steeply overhung alien feature. Take a deep breath before launching up the inside of this outrageous feature. Clip the green thread before you mantle out. DBC belay.

Note: There is an anchor on the ledge in the middle of the route, this is the top of Boulderer's Day Off. You can stop here to split the route into 2 pitches.

The pitch starting from the alien head. Great climbing on perfect rock. Climb Space Ape or Dirty Hairy Frenchmen to access.

This is the Tairua classic!

Pitch 1 (19) – Are we Tramping

Pitch 2 (22) 20m Climb easy honeycombed rock to the 2nd bolt,then power through the crux which consists of a series of good underclings with long reaches to small slopey edges.

Pitch 3 (18) 20m Delightful stemming up the steep corner to the large chickenhead visible from below. Can be done as one long pitch or two short pitches at 22/18.

Pitch 4 (26)15m. Up thru scoop and then consistently hard moves to the anchor.

Pitch 5 (21) 30m . Nice moves on good rock to bushy ledge.

Pitch 6 (16) 30m Up slabby ground to rap station just below bushline.

Pitch 1 to 3 Greg Kolbe; Edwin Sheppard Nov 2017

Pitch 4 to 6 Edwin Sheppard, Max Nov 2020

Up the steep bolted line starting a few metres to the right of Jam. Staunch climbing with a sting in the tail.

Cranky moves off the deck to a couple of okay placements, then straight up the steep groove (crux). It really helps if you know how to jam! Stay right after the ledge and cruise up the wide crack toward the belay on the right. Rack: Double rack of cams to #3, one #4 and #5.

1. 25m (21) Up crackline with steep groove to stainless chain belay. Trad.

2. 25m (19) Follow crack up and boldly left around the arete to a series of caves, continue climbing up and left past two bolts and a two hanger belay in a small cave to a spacious belay cave with a chain anchor. Trad and 2 bolts.

3. 30m (23) Up past three bolts on funky featured rock to, then undercling right to gain an impressive corner crack. Trad and 3 bolts.

4. 30m (20) Up steep face and ledges. 9 bolts.

5. 25m (17) Up short, steep groove to slab. 6 bolts.

Rack: Wires and double camalots to #3 and a #4.

Easier finish to Home Again. Traverse up and right before Home Again's final steep section to the first pitch's anchor of Kapowai Calling.

Starts on the block just left of Kapowai Calling, on the edge of the large gully that splits the face. Nice grade 17/18 moves up to the crux up the small crack at the top. Generously bolted to make for a comfortable lead. 11 bolts.

Start as for Home Again, before splitting off at half height following crack trending up and left. At the chocked block bust out left to flake feature before moving up to another chock (novel #4 camalot placement here). Sustained climbing follows with just enough gear to keep you going before joining Kapowai Calling at the bolt at the end of its second pitch.

Rack: wires, full set of cams to #4, doubles #0.3-1. Save the #0.75s to place after each chock.

Note: FA was on trad before Home Again was bolted.

The best route at Tairua? Follows a giant crack/chimney up the left side of the large central gully which splits the buttress. The first two and a half pitches were climbed ground-up on trad, but there is now a couple of bolts at the crux on the first pitch. Every pitch of this route is worth doing in its own right... no boring bits! Note the hardest moves (3rd pitch) are on bolts. All anchors are bolted.

1. (22) Slabby left-hand rising traverse leads to crux protected by two bolts, then power up corner to the first belay.

2. (19) A lovely hand crack turns into a layback / off-width, this pitch is awesome, bring big cams (could even use a no. 6 Camalot! Note the thrutchy crux is run out ~7m if you do not have anything bigger than a #4 camalot.

3. (23) Continue up the corner system on good gear until it runs out and you hit bolts halfway up the pitch. Try to find a bit of a rest before you hit a challenging sport crux (hard 23). Mantle out to the belay.

4. (20) Follow the bolts up the shallow corner and then traverse right to the steep but juggy arete. Some small holds bring you back left to the belay on a bushy ledge.

5. (18) Pure fun! Up the short wall with awesome features, mantle over onto a low-angle friction slab leading to the anchor a few metres below the bush line.

Rack: Doubles to #4, one #5 or #6.

Descent: Great rap line - all pitches are less than 30m so it can be done with a single 60m rope. Every rap leads you directly down to the previous belay, except for the first anchor which is slightly right of the rap line but is easy to swing across to.

A wildly overhanging, left-leaning hand crack! Rope stretcher - use a 70m rope or tie knots in your 60m. Located at the far left-hand side of the crag, up the access ramp with a white fixed rope. Start up the block just left of the main crack, placing a good cam off the ground to protect the start moves. Span across to the main crack and then blast upwards. The crux is hand jams.

Rack: Single rack of wires and small cams, double rack of cams from #0.4 -#3,one #4. Hexes work great too! Make sure you keep a #.5 and a #.75 camalot for the top section where the gear options get a bit limited.

More fixed ropes lead up and left from 'Five Legged Goat'. 'El pollo loco' starts on a small ledge with two chains.

1. (45m) Clip the two sets of chains and climb the tree, then move right. Two more bolts will bring you to a DBC. Either belay here to reduce drag or continue traversing right before heading up. ~16 bolts if you opt to do it in one pitch.

2. Take an excursion to the right and back left after the 4th bolt. Then up into the chicken heads and a slab.

3. A steep section followed by slab.

Descent: A 60m rope will suffice. There is a rappel anchor at the right end of the P1 traverse. ~25 more meters from here brings you back to the access track.

Up the arrete on the left to the top

Up the left side of the face without using the arrete. Feels like Castle Hill bouldering.

Climb skirting to the left of the white scrunge, then break right to access the two prominent blocks. Cut loose for a killer Instagram picture (optional).

Take a set of micro wires and get your sling ready for the top. Ab off one of the blocks.

Head up the face on wires to the large rightward slanting crack at the top of the buttress. Belay off a Pohutukawa tree on top.

Up the obvious crack. Takes lots of gear, hence the name. Belay off the Pohutukawa tree.

The right hand side of the face with the sandy base. V0 for the sit start else VB.