Guide: where people boulder in New Zealand

New Zealand doesn't have one big bouldering scene so much as a handful of very different ones. The best known is the limestone of the Castle Hill basin in Canterbury, where Kura Tāwhiti sits beside State Highway 73. In the North Island there is sharp limestone on farmland around Waitomo, and the windy greywacke of the Wellington south coast.

What links them is less the rock than the way you have to behave on it. Much of the best bouldering in the country is on private land or in places with deep cultural meaning. Access depends on landowners, the Department of Conservation and mana whenua being happy with what climbers do, so these notes put care and etiquette next to the climbing every time.

A few habits apply almost everywhere:

• Check who manages the land before you go, and follow any signs or temporary closures.
• Stay on tracks, park where you are allowed to, and take all your rubbish home.
• Brush off your tick marks and chalk, and leave the moss and lichen alone.
• Leave wet rock alone. Soft limestone and sandstone are easily damaged when damp.

For safety planning before any trip into the hills, the Department of Conservation's know-before-you-go advice is a good starting point. The notes below go into each area and topic in more detail.