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Summary
Limestone
The area contains thousands of weather sculptured limestone boulders. It is known around the world for its technical and powerful climbing.
Description
Castle Hill Basin is a semi-alpine area nestled between the Craigieburn and Torlesse mountain ranges.
The Basin consists of nine fields - Spittle Hill, Quantum Field, Dark Castle, Wuthering Heights, Prebble Hill (The Teapot), Gorge Hill, Cave Stream, Dry Valley and Flock Hill. Each field is filled with unique features and wonderful opportunities to be had. The fields also vary in access rules, so please educate yourself before visiting each one!
Guidebooks for these areas may be found at the YHA in Springfield (for rent only). The Comprehensive Castle Hill Climbing Guide by Matt Pierson and Alan Davison (2009/2015) is out of print and no longer available for purchase elsewhere.
There is an excellent website already established, which is the most up to date and easy to use - https://castlehillbasin.co.nz/ - (I'd totally recommend just using this). It is good to remember that the creator of this website is a climber just like us, and has put a lot of there own free time into this website - if you are going to use the website and thecrag, please refrain from copying and pasting information, to show the all the hard work and time is much appreciated on this free website!
Please be sure to read up on the local etiquette and rules for the fields - https://castlehillbasin.co.nz/info. The rock in the basin is very soft limestone - so is prone to polishing unfortunately quickly. There are a few things the locals will always do to slow this process - clean your shoes, use minimal amounts of chalk, never use chalk on foot holds - chalking up footholds does not help friction, it just polishes the rock at an alarming rate -
Cleaning holds with water and a soft toothbrush will remove chalk, rubber and skin from the pores of the rock and ensure it is in the best possible condition for the next person. If the footholds start turning black from rubber, wash them clean again before the rock starts to polish - please watch this video to help explain - https://youtu.be/Ckt4qebtSOQ?si=WUxTHq6X_viICtiR
Webcam of the area: http://www.castlehill.net.nz/webcam.php
Weather: http://www.castlehill.net.nz/Weather/weather.php
Also close to the excellent Hogs Back MTB trail and half a dozen club ski fields.
Access issues
Some areas are part of Kura Tawhiti Conservation Reserve and managed by the DOC; others are private property.
For access to the main Castle Hill area, you can park in the lot available for the Castle Hill Park which contains some walking trails. These walking trails will also take you to Quantum Field or Spittle Hill. This is one of the easiest areas to get up and get going unless you want to fit in a good hike.
If you want access to Cave Stream, take a 10 minute drive further north along 73 to park at the Cave Stream Park area. To access Flock Hill and Dry Valley, you need to drive 1 kilometre further from Cave Stream's parking area. There will be an obvious park sign. You will then need to take a bit of a hike to get where you need to go.
Approach
<5 min
Caste Hill is in the Canterbury high country, approx. 90km northwest of Christchurch. Take 73 all the way into the Castle Hill region which from Christchurch takes about 1.5 hours. When you get to Castle Hill, there is a 20 car carpark (with toilet) on the left side (heading north) off the West Coast Rd (a few km south of Castle Hill Village). This will be marked with a sign making it obvious as the Castle Hill park.
When driving into Castle Hill, the villages in this area are very small. There is a petrol station in Springfield, however if you want decent food you will need to stock up at the grocery store in Darfield.
Where to stay
Castle Hill Village has some upscale accomodations. There are a few hostels/motels in Springfield. For camping, go to Cragieburn shelter about a 20 minutes drive further west on 73 past the Castle Hill car park.
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