The Best Rock Climbing in New Zealand

Follow the footpath from the car park. You will quickly arrive at Castle Hill, famous for it's incredible array of giant limestone formations. There is no official path so you are free to wander the maze of rocks. Look for arches and even signs of ancient Maori inhabitants. Its fun to climb among...

From Queenstown drive to the Remarkables Ski Field. The road features incredible views of Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu, Shotover Canyon and the Southern Alps. The road takes you far above tree line into alpine high country.From the parking area it is a short (30-45 min) walk along a pleasant trail t...

Mount Cook (Aoraki), the highest mountain in New Zealand, lies on the Northern base of Lake Pukaki - this will definitely be good. Getting there all depends on where you're coming from. To start, GPS the Lake Pukaki Information Centre and then explore as you wish. Follow motorway 8 along the Sout...

Park on the west side of Summit Road near Dyers Pass Road to unload your bicycle or start on the Crater Rim Track. Alternatively you can hike up from the valley on the (west to east) Bowenvale, Huntsbury, Mt Vernon, Rapaki or Bridle Tracks, all of which are shared use bike/hike tracks.Once you ar...

Park at the trailhead and begin the trail by crossing through farmland. As always be respectful of the property owners and animals, and close any gates you walk through.After a long walk up Kaituna Valley you will arrive at the Packhorse Hut, a great place to stay the night and enjoy the views of...

Mount Maunganui keeps proving that it is an incredibly family-friendly destination with its extremely well maintained path up Mount Maunganui, a massive and easy to access beach with great waves for beginners, all the food you can crave, and a little escape island. Right off the main beach you'll...

Once you identify the parking area (Right turn off Glenorchy Paradise Road just before crossing the Earnslaw Burn, park a the bend in the road.) Cross the boggy meadow in a NW direction until you see the orange trail markers on trees.The trail below bush line is long, very rugged and covered with...

This route is not marked, riddled with loose rock, and requires climbing on narrow exposed ledges. There are often snow patches on the saddle and an unchecked fall will almost certainly result in a fatality. However, for experienced and well prepared parties this can be one of the most rewarding ...

Park at the well marked Saint James Walkway Car Park. You will find the Lewis Pass Tops Trail Head across the street. The trail begins by climbing steeply through beech forest and then breaks through the tree line before arriving at the ridge crest. The maintained trail ends here but the route is...

Begin your adventure by hiking up the Temple Basin Ski Field access trail. Continue beyond the Ski huts to the upper basin below Mt Temple and B'Limit. Continue hiking under the rope tows to the saddle where the views will surly take your breath away.Once at the saddle mount the ridge-top to clim...

The Kaumira Canyon is a deep, narrow gorge in the mid-Canterbury plains. Although not covering a very large distance, the array of technical features will take a while to navigate. We had a large party of nine people, and it took us nearly four hours to complete the canyon. There are two rappels,...

Getting to the Unwin Crag can be more of an adventure than the rock climb itself. You can park at the Unwin Lodge or at the car park at the bottom of the crag. From the lodge you walk towards the Mount Cook Village and you can easily see the 2 small rock faces just above the bush on the left hand...

Several mountaineering routes start right off the road in Arthur's Pass making it a great alpine training ground with nearly endless opportunities. Many of the routes are just hiking routes in summer, but in winter snow piles up to transform them into steep, exposed and exciting climbs. I will ou...

Fox Glacier is one of the most remote, yet awesome places to visit on New Zealand's wild west coast of the South Island.  The weather here is extreme; it changes daily and the heavy rainfall paves the way for incredible green landscapes and native birds. The glacier rises above the township and i...