Bouldering in the Castle Hill Basin in Canterbury, NZ (South Island)

For those who enjoy bouldering in excellent conditions with magnificent views, Castle Hill Basin in Canterbury, on the South Island of New Zealand, is the perfect spot, and I will lead you on several trips to this area so we can boulder on the myriad of epic and awesome limestone boulders available to us, while also admiring and taking in the lush green alpine meadows and gorgeous New Zealand countryside.

Castle Hill is an area full of hundreds of limestone rocks and boulders, clustered together in 4 distinct boulder fields. It is only 80km from the city of Christchurch, on the South Island of New Zealand in the region of Canterbury, and is renowned as the best boulder location in the country.

We meet for our adventure in the morning in Christchurch, and from there we drive to the Castle Hill Basin.

Once there we then have the pick of areas that we wish to boulder in, with the four main ones being Kura Tawhiti/Castle Hill, Prebble Hill, Dry Valley and Flock Hill.

Each has their own unique and interesting characteristics, with Castle Hill containing thousands of routes and climbs, Prebble Hill proving popular due to the teapot shape its boulders form when viewed from the road, Dry Valley providing a quieter, more peaceful experience, and Flock Hill being arguably the best bouldering spot in the whole country owing to its huge boulders and wide array of climbs.

Each locale is idyllic, tranquil and picturesque, as the surrounding fields and meadows provide lovely views, out over the landscape, scenery and terrain, with the snow-capped mountain peaks looming large in the distance.

Once we finish we then head back to Christchurch, our appetite whetted for yet more bouldering in this brilliant part of New Zealand.

Book now to experience the thrill of bouldering in this truly special part of New Zealand!