It was raining when we got there; not our most enthusiastic start.

But the view from the start showed promise of a good day.

The pathway/approach (aka: a via ferrata, or cable climb) was pretty unique & fun.

Letting go (despite the dual carabiners securing me) was way harder (for me) than it appears here.

For Mark, just another adrenaline rush...

Our group consisted of three climbers and a guide

Still very securely attached to the cable. Very securely.

We finished the first stage and discovered this little canyon our next stage. We're going up there!

I (jw) eventually let go here w/ my hands; for me this was ridiculously difficult...

And yet we (eventually) did it again here...but at this point, really: what do we have to lose?

After such a thrilling 'up', the path back down to the base was significantly less so.

ROCK CLIMBING

March 23 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F

Ok, this was SO MUCH FUN!!
It's actually called ferrata or cable climb. It's a lot easier than mountain climbing because its a climbing route that employs steel cables, rungs, or ladders, fixed to the rock to which the climbers affix a harness with two leashes, which allows the climbers to secure themselves to the metal fixture and limit any fall. In New Zealand, they add a 3rd leash to use when you switch between cables. They also gave me a helmet to attach my GoPro for additional pictures. We started at 9 am with a slight rain, but the rain ended at 9:30am and turned into a beautiful day.Read more