Castle Hill

Castle Hill is composed of grassy fields of massive boulders, creating a maze of arches, holes, slabs, aretes, and more. These limestone rock formations provide thousands of boulder problems, making it one of the world’s finest bouldering locations. While not as well-known for its rope climbs, there are still over 200 to choose from. Pair this with the neighboring Flock Hill (where the final battle scene of the Chronicles of Narnia was filmed) and you’ll stay entertained for ages.

Rock Type: Limestone boulders
Climbs: 5000+ named boulder problems and 200+ climbs.
Location: Center of New Zealand’s South Island, approximately 60 miles West of Christchurch. Map

My Experience

Unfortunately, bringing a crash pad with us on our overseas trip wasn’t particularly feasible, so we were restricted to the rope climbs. However, with over 200 to choose from, there was more than enough to occupy us (especially since we only had enough time to spend one day here). I was especially surprised by the wide variety of climbing types available in what looked like (from a distance) a bunch of plain, round rocks sitting on a lawn. There were overhangs, aretes, huecos, slab climbs, and even a small multi-pitch climb!

I am trying to recall specifics nearly 2 years after the trip, so I am not sure of the exact climbs we did. However, I specifically remember a few distinct ones:

• A multi-pitch climb that started off on slab climbing, and finished on an arete.
• A fun 18 filled with huecos and a need for some creative body positioning
• Nether Edge: John’s favorite climb, which featured only 2-bolts spread scarily far apart, and a warning from the guidebook that said to be careful of shearing your rope on the sharp arete. Needless to say, it made me quite nervous (and I was only belaying).
• A sharp, crimpy, slab climb following an overhung, bouldery start.

After my hands started to hurt, I ended up having a blast just scrambling across the rocks, crawling into nooks and crannys, and leaping across rock bridges. This is one place that I really wish I could have stayed longer, and even non-climbers can have a blast here.