2008-03-08-Taranaki

Photos and Report from Rock Climbing on the Organ Pipes

Once more we put our gear into the back of the car and headed North. This time we headed for Mt Taranaki – East side ski field. We arrived at the carpark late at night and bivied for the night. We woke to sunshine and wet sleeping bags as there had been a heavy dew. After a little breakfast we packed and headed for ‘Lion Rock’ and ‘Organ Pipes Valley’ (heading toward Tahurangi lodge).

After 2 hours of a pleasant tramp with 20kg plus packs we came to Little Eiger where there is a spring and the place we were to bivy that night. We sorted our sleeping spots amongst the rocks, organized our climbing gear and headed up the valley to ‘Left of Nose’. For the remainder of the day we had fun climbing the classic and non classic climbs on the wall with clouds swirling amongst us.

Fed led climbed ‘Hot Rod’ and slipped off the rock two thirds up the climb. The protection held and Fed continued to the top after he had a moment. He did mention it was a little wet in the holds at the top. I followed Fed and climbed happily until I neared the top and realized what an understatement Fed had made. The holds were not pleasant but didn’t stop me and I was standing next to Fed in a few moments. Steve seemed as always to amble up everything. In between climbs the hands were a little cold but once you were on the rock, things started warming up.

Finally evening started to arrive and the temperature started to drop so we headed back to the bivy and cooked dinner, had a bottle of wine, made fun of each other and the world as the clouds disappeared and the stars came out. Final the cold drove us to bed and a good nights sleep. The temperature dropped well below zero over night but I was cozy and warm in my bivy bag under the stars.

We woke to a golden sunrise that was simply fantastic. We had a slow breakfast and were getting to our eggs when the south winds arrived like a bomb. Our gear went tumbling down the hill with us chasing. Pots, burner, cubs, mats, etc. We gave up on the eggs and packed all the cooking and night gear. Then headed for the ‘Right of Nose’ to get out of the wind. We had a great time exploring this rock face in the hot sun until the south wind brought clouds and not far behind that rain. Eventually the cliff was to slippery to climb so we headed back to the bivy, packed our climbing gear and headed back to the car in the rain.

There was only one grumble on the trip. The trip was too short. All agreed that we enjoyed the trip, and wanted to spend more time under the stars, exploring ‘Organ Pipe Valley’ and getting to know the area a little better.

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