A small bay on the west side of the lake with several large cliffs towering over the water below. The hard Ryolitic rock makes for some spectacular traditional climbing in a fantastic setting. There are numerous cracks here as well as some technical face and sport pulling as well. The area consists of a main wall, which you can't miss, and then several smaller cliff sections lining the hills around the bay.
The bay is owned by the Maori tribe Tuwharetoa, who allow us to climb for a small fee ($5). Find one of the guys who lives in the beach houses near the main wall. Be respectful of the Maori, as they could just as easily close the area to climbers. The Maori are sensitive to inappropriate language, and the cliffs reflect sound more than you think, so this isn’t the area to come to if you’re prone to throwing hissy fits when you climb (poorly).
There is camping for climbers near the rivermouth. The parking area is just up the road a bit, don’t park on the beach and don’t drive past the Marae (sacred temple).
There are many established routes in this area, see the guidebook by Len Gillman for more information.
Getting There
Access the bay via a dirt road off highway 32. See www.freeclimb.co.nz for more information.
The Classics
Mountain Project's determination of some of the classic, most popular, highest rated routes for Whanganui Bay:
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