The West Coast Turns It On

Year 13 OED spent some days on the West Coast last week caving, climbing and rafting. Based near the old gold mining township of Charleston and right across the road from the majestic gneiss sea cliffs of the Tasman Sea, it is a remarkable place. Day one saw us heading down a hole in the darkness of Te Tahi Cave.

"High and right", was the call from the omnicheerful Willy and after a few false starts the main passageway became obvious. We were treated to some spectacular cave formations and a good dose of water before shuffling sideways down the Charlie Chaplin walk to view an ancient whale verterbrae. "What was that whale doing in a cave anyway?" - best you do some investigation Elias!



Day two was all about sunshine and climbing. The cliffs at Charleston are right against the pounding surf of the Tasman Sea and give you a real sense of exposure. Add to that the grittty rock and funky moves and it makes for adventurous climbing. There were a few pumped climbers at the top of the classic 50m Racing in the Streets, one of the best single pitch routes in the South Island.


The week finished with a great high flow rafting trip through the Buller Gorge with the crew from Ultimate Descents.

Sea Kayaking, Seals and Peter Pan

In true 2008 style, the weather almost scuppered our plans to sea kayak into Abel Tasman National Park, with high winds and accompanying swells forecast. On the day though, all was good and 22 people made it into Anchorage to set up camp before the wind blew in. Over the next four days, we kayaked around the gorgeous beaches and inlets of the world famous park. Highlights included getting up close with seal pups in Shag Harbour and a rare sighting of Tinkerbell at the final night Peter Pan themed feast.

More photos here