Otepatotu

Summary

French ethics may not yet have arrived at this cliff, but the rappel in (the normal way of accessing the routes) is reminiscent of this style. And it takes a while to get a grip on the name: `O-te-pa-to-tu": or `Ote' for short.

There are some excellent routes here and some vegetated grovels. Some of these grovels periodically turn into good routes when someone abseils them with a hatchet and/or secateurs and cleans off some of the gorse. The rock configuration means that most of the better routes have a compact, knobbly lower half (ie. nice climbing but little pro), and a steeper, more featured upper half. Good possibilities still exist for wall and arete routes.

In northwest winds the crag is sheltered, though it's very exposed at the top. Avoid it in a southerly.

How to get there

From Christchurch, take the Akaroa highway to Hilltop and from there the Summit Road. About 3 km past the Okains Bay turnoff is the Otepatotu [Gorse] Scenic Reserve, with the crag as its dominant feature. A track leads to the top of the crag. Map ref: N36 112174.

History

This area was first visited by a group of wandering climbers in 1973, producing a series of excellent routes. There was the classic **Ultimate Horror (16) and *Deviant (17) by Tim Wethey, Mike Franklin's **Oblivion (16), Mike Perry's *N.S.U. (14) and the Peninsula's only three-star 12, ***Diploma by Warwick Anderson.

These visits had eliminated the gorse, but the next new route was not until five years later with Hugh Logan's **Eliminator (18). But the crag's hardest climb was produced by John Allen in 1979: Walk on the Mild Side (23). This necessitated a 20 ft fall due to removing hands from the rock at the wrong moment. Another Allen prize was **Altar (21), the spectacular arete which gives the crag its profile. This was toproped in 1973, but lack of protection preserved it for seven more years. 1980 saw John Howard's ***Falter (22) and *Greenstick Fracture (20). Roddy McKenzie added Cabbage Milkshake (22). Since then the crag has been pretty much left alone.

Climbing Notes

The absence of a track to the base of the crag makes it usual practice to use the Dept of Conservation track to the top of the cliff, which is a pleasant spot. To access the climbs, an abseil rope fixed for the day (usually in the vicinity of Diploma) is usually the best option. Or you can climb down Gorse Gully. Take care of the native vegetation, but there's an open season on gorse. L of Walk on the Mild Side the routes are rarely contemplated, let alone climbed, as there is a bushbash just to find them.

A few easier routes that are terminally infested with gorse have not been recorded here as they have no merit whatsoever.

To the L of the main cliff are three smaller buttresses. On the middle buttress is one route...

Reprobate 16 20m Lindsay Main '78

Start in a easy-angled L-facing corner. Steepens further up. Lichenous.

On the main cliff...

Walk on the Mild Side 23 20m John Allen '79

Start up easy wall to cave, then move deviously through overhang to ramp and top.

Chocolate Frog 12 15m Mike Franklin '73

An obvious black corner with two small trees which are useful as runners.

* Deviant 17 15m Tim Wethey '73

Quite a good route. Start up C.F. and below the bush traverse R onto the wall. Then up the wall/crack and exit corner (crux).

Paradise Regained 12 15m Tim Wethey '73

Up the wall R of C.F. to huge jugs. Move R to the edge and up.

Paradise Lost 16 15m Tim Wethey '73

2m R of the P.R. arete. Up the crack, R up a steep groove and onto the arete.

The Shoveller 10 25m Mike Franklin '73

A prominent easy corner, steep at the top.

* Bygone Error 19 25m

Three bolts. Arete L of TUH. Start down in trees. Hard bits climbed on the R.

** The Ultimate Horror 16 20m Tim Wethey '73

A classic, varied testpiece with some great moments. A wall with very little pro (serious) leads to a headwall with well-protected bulges. Sustained.

(The top-roped arete on the L is 19)

** Pleasant Interlude 19

Two bolts. Wall R of TUH.

Flowers in the Night 14 15m Daryll Thomson '73

On the L shoulder of Gorse Gully. Starts in a short corner, then over a block, L to a rib, and up.

Dead Heroes 19 15m Lindsay Main '83

Start from a small tree on the L side of Gorse Gully and move up to a big jug. Then L for pro and up to the R of a small gorse bush, tending R to a horizontal break (poor pro). Up and L to the groove to exit (crux).

Gorse Gully 11 10m

Easy ascent or descent route, either by the L or R variation.

Acid Queen 17 6m Lindsay Main '80

A short steep crack on the R wall of Gorse Gully.

*** Diploma 12 15 m Warwick Anderson '73

A really good little route. Up the crack on the rib, move L and follow the edge. Or direct start (14). Exit up the steep, wide crack splitting the top block.

* N.S.U. 14 15m Mike Perry '73

Not as poxy as the name suggests. Start as for Diploma and continue up the creek.

** Eliminator 18 18 m Hugh Logan '78

An excellent, bold wall route. Start 3m R of N.S.U. under a thin crack. Follow this, then move L on to the arete.

Super Vegeman 13 20m Tim Wethey '73

A prominent vegetated corner. Exit L or R. I solo top-roped this using a prussik and carrying a pack, a bag(?), and a slasher!

** Falaise Malaise 19

The arete L of O. Pretty thin for the grade.

** Oblivion 16 22m Mike Franklin '73

Delicate moves with little pro on a steep wall lead to a very pleasant corner. A good route but not one to fall off at the bottom.

* Voie Classique 16

2m R of O. Thin seam merging with F.'s headwall.

** Falter 22 24m John Howard '80

Apparently this climb is gooood. Directly up the Altar wall and bulging headwall (don't F.!). Pro in horizontal break.

** Altar 21 24m John Allen '79

This spectacular arete line was spotted and toproped as early as '73, but it was left to John Allen to make the first lead. Start either up the shallow groov e on the arete, or on the L wall, with little pro in either case. Up the overhanging bit on the R, then move L at the horizontal break and exit.

Claymore 14 22m Hugh Logan '73

The huge black corner prominent from the road.

* Path de Pierre 16

The L line on the wall R of C.

Little Vibrator 16 22m Tim Wethey '73

Starts in the middle of the wall R of C. at a small crack. Just below vegetation in the crack move R to a ledge and up the central one of three cracks to a s loping ledge. Step L to a crack and up blocks.

Cabbage Milkshake 22 22m Roddy McKenzie '83

Climb the groove which rears into an overhang (crux) with bolt pro. Then up a thin crack and steep wall to finish as for Little Vibrator.

Eleanor 14 20m Tim Wethey '73

The wall R of C.M.. Climb either the curving corner at L or start up the wall. Not much pro.

* Greenstick Fracture 20 John Howard

A good route. Finger crack well to the right.