When you’re just starting out in rock climbing, finding a regular climbing partner is no easy feat. Our climbing crew all live busy lives and I’ve given up trying to convince friends on the merits of embracing your inner spider and climbing walls. Then one day I figured, there has to be people like me, right? People who want to embrace an active lifestyle, hang out with like minded individuals or simply to meet others outside their bubble.

After a quick search on Google, I found Got To Get Out - a social enterprise that not only encourages people to embrace the outdoors, but their paid trips also come with a ‘buy one, give one’ philosophy. It means that for every paid trip, a child gets the chance to experience the outdoors. Volunteer leaders around the country regularly organise free group outings, as well as paid trips. Walking, running, hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing and snow trips are just some of the activities they offer.

At the end of June, I joined a bus load from Auckland to go rock climbing and abseiling at Castle Rock in Wharepapa South. Being the only one from Whakatāne, I just met up with the group at Castle Rock and stayed overnight with them at the Pirongia Forest Park Lodge.

There’s a $10 entry fee to the crag, which can be paid in the box by the toilets or you can pay $50 for the year online. The routes are well maintained, and even come with anchoring ropes on many of the routes (it’s a thin rope that ties onto your climbing rope to set up an anchor). It’s great to set up for top roping if you’re not quite up to lead climbing on the higher grades. Grades range from 12 to 26, with routes 6m to 25m - with trad or sport climbing options. Castle Rock is typical ignimbrite - with plenty of pockets and holes, much like a sponge. Froggatt Edge is another crag just down the road (it’s free), and is often packed in the warmer months.

Once the Got To Get Out bus arrived, I got to meet Rob (founder of GTGO) and Legend (one of their main activity guides) as well as others in the group. The rock climbing and abseiling was run by First Step Outdoors - my fee included all climbing gear, although I used mine instead. Most of the morning was spent learning climbing safety as well as getting to know each other. There was light rain throughout the day, and it wasn’t until the afternoon that the sun finally came out. I had never climbed in the rain before, though the ignimbrite stayed surprisingly dry and certainly didn’t stop us from climbing.

My only memory of abseiling was as a terrified primary school kid - back at a time when I had a big fear of heights and hugging rocks wasn’t yet my thing. The abseil at the crag was less than 20m high, which was pretty fun once I got the hang of it. You can’t really see the rain from the photos, but it was constant that day and definitely made me grateful for the warm shower that awaited us at the lodge.

Our accommodation for the night was at the Pirongia Forest Lodge. Part of our packing list for the trip was to bring food to share for dinner, and wow did we end up with a feast! It had that same feel good vibe of a school camp, but with adults. After dinner and doing the dishes, we spent a few hours chatting, playing board games and even a few rounds of highly competitive beer pong (played with water haha). When I finally made it to bed, my muscles were sore from climbing and my face ached from laughter.

After breakfast and cleaning up at the lodge, the group walked one of the short tracks in the nearby Pirongia Forest. It was a good way to stretch the legs and chat before heading home, especially since home for me was in the opposite direction. Even though the group is based in Auckland, I hope to connect again with them, especially on future road trips. 

Living in New Zealand, we are blessed with the great outdoors, though we may not get to enjoy it as much as we’d like to. Got To Get Out is a social enterprise that brings like minded people together. They make exploring the outdoors more accessible, as well as give back to kids who may otherwise not have that opportunity. That’s my vibe and if it’s yours too, check out their website or head to their Facebook page to see what events are coming up in your hood.

fivefootronna is Ronna Grace Funtelar - a thirtyish adventurer, graphic designer and writer.
A woman with a curious mind who lives for hiking mountains, outdoor adventures and eating pizza. She has a unique brand of optimism that is a combination of her great enthusiasm for life and cups of coffee during the day.