Rock Climbing at Ti Point – 2nd Dec 2006
Location: Ti Point
Organised and lead by Kathleen Lee
Participants: Kathleen Lee, John Salisbury, Bryce, Rafael Alonso, James Scarfe and his friend, Johnmen Zhang
I didn't have too much hope for the weather since Thursday and Friday's weather forecasts were telling us that we were going to have showers. However, Saturday was sunny and breezy the whole day, a perfect welcome from nature.
Kathleen and Rafael chose Twin Cracks which is an excellent route for practicing bridging. It is 20m high and graded at 16. Both parallel cracks run from the ground all the way up to the top. Cracks have roughly the same width throughout, it is time to jam whatever you have into them! Since it is also a kind of corner all the way up, you can also use bridging to easily push your body up.
James and his friend turned up right after Kathleen finished struggling with the first cam. And not long after, Dean and Alice also arrived, great minds think alike!
John Salisbury and Bryce took on 'The Fang' (graded 18) and it did not take John too long to get to the top. John then belayed me. The climb was awesome, plenty of friction from the rock, a light sea breeze, crystal clear water and views of Whangaparapara Island across the sea.
We then moved onto 'Whiskey Delta', 'Suicide Wall' and 'The Appendix'. In summary, Ti Point has many good routes which give you both natural pro and bolted options. Meanwhile grades vary from 10 to 24, with most under 18. It's also the closest natural rock climbing location outside the Auckland (it's 90kms away) and Goat Island is only 15 mins away. Whether you are interested in rock or water, it is indeed a great place to go.
By Johnmen Zhang
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