The first trip planned to the Via Ferrata (VF) prior to Xmas was cancelled due to unsuitable weather. In the meantime, the third and more challenging stage of the VF was completed and opened. So our adventure became even bigger and better!
Saturday was grey and misty but that cleared away overnight and Sunday dawned clear and still – perfect weather for climbing the VF! Two cars and 10 people left the Badminton Hall just before 9 am for the easy drive to Takaka Hill and the Ngarua Caves Shop. We arrived earlier than expected but there were already other climbers with their gear heading off in their cars. After completing paperwork and paying $10 each for the safety gear, we also hit the road to the car park near the Takaka Walkway.
After fitting out safety harnesses, we took the short walk of 5 minutes to the short ‘Skills” climbing area to become familiar with the use of the harness and to understand the process involved in clipping on and off and shifting along the steel ropeway. We all came way smiling – easy-peasy! There was then a longer 10minute walk to the next climb.
The "Cliff Traverse" is the easier of the two main routes. It is mainly a horizontal sidle around the karst cliffs of the Hill. It features three emergency walk-out exits. If you find it too challenging then you can exit the climb early and walk back. You spend a lot of time facing the hillside, but when you get a chance to look around, you can see the cars on the highway, way below! [Climb-time approx 30 mins] It is then a further 15 minutes walk from that finish to the start of the newest route, and quite a distance down the hillside!
The "Cliff Conqueror" route, only opened in December 2025. It is the longer and more challenging of the two routes and includes mainly vertical climbing with two ladders bolted to the hillside where you face out and enjoy the views.! It also features a bench seat off to the side where you can swing your legs in space! It provided great views of the cars on one of the tights curves on the highway well below! Plenty of tooting horns showed that they could also see us! [Climb time approx 45 minutes]
Both routes provide a “full-body” workout! You use the ball of your feet and toes a lot when standing on the footsteps or rocky edges. A good workout for the hamstrings! Your upper body gets an even better workout from hanging on to the rope as you sidle along and especially from pulling your body uphill on the vertical bits. The safety harness includes a clip so that you can attach your self to the wire rope and have a rest ot take photos, but we found that it simply did not reach the rope in most places.
While not everyone completed the whole course, everyone was buzzing with the thrill of overcoming their intial fears and proving to themselves that ven if they didn’t complete this time; they will the next time!
Participants: Mike, Andrea, Maaike, Kath, Sam, Heather, Jo, Linda, Marijke and Graeme (Leader & Scribe)