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Mt. Bradley is the second highest hill on Banks Peninsula. The four cliffs are near the summit on the North side, overlooking the harbour. The rock is steep, smooth and generally solid although due to lack of traffic, climb with care. A helmet is highly recommended. Many of the routes top out to loose blocks. Crack climbing rules here. 99% of the lines are trad, the remainder are mixed. Grades are low to mid 20's You will find the classic "White Wizard" 22,(Trad) here. There are about 85 climbs shared between four cliffs: The Main Cliff, The Castle, The Right Cliff and The Upper Tier. The usual decent is choked with gorse and impassable. There appears to be a usable decent track in the next gully over, between The Castle and The Right Cliff. If you have webbing or rope you are keen to get rid of, this is the place to do it. No routes have bolt anchors. Slinging blocks is often the best option for anchors and rapping.
Directions: From Christchurch, drive to Orton Bradly Park in Charteris Bay(45min-1 hour). Once in the park, drive to the end of the picnic area near the public toilets. Take the well marked and signposted Packhorse Hut track that runs directly up the side of the valley to the ridgeline (true left)Once on the part of the track that traverses several hundred meters below the crags, look for a reletavly scrub free ridge, accented with several tiers of small crags. Strike upwards using this ridge as best as possible. A small amount of rock hopping and bush bashing is required nearer the top. This approach brings you to The Right Crag. (2+ hours).
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Sequence numbers indicate the left (L) to right (R) order of the routes.
