For the world’s mountaineers, New Zealand is well and truly on the map. Our Southern Alps were Sir Edmund Hillary’s training ground for his historic Everest climb in 1953. With 30 peaks taller than 3000 metres, and Aoraki/Mount Cook scraping the sky at 3753 metres, there’s no shortage of challenging summits to conquer.

However, most travellers don’t come to New Zealand with a suitcase full of crampons, carabineers and ice picks. That doesn’t mean mountaineering is out of the question. If you’ve always wanted to join an expedition and knock off a summit or two, or complete a mountain trek like the Lewis Pass, experienced climbing instructors and guides are readily available.

Rock climbing is another way to embrace New Zealand’s geology in an up-close-and-personal way. There are plenty of crags, boulders and cliff faces to ascend in Wanaka.

Wanaka Rock Climbing offers you the chance to learn this exciting sport under the expert supervision of qualified rock and mountain guides with a small client to guide ratio. When climbing with WRC, you are choosing to learn about an exciting and rapidly growing sport with a company that believes top quality instruction requires guides to be experienced, not only as rock climbers, but also as teachers, outdoor companions and safety experts.

The majority of WRC climbing is done in the spectacular Matukituki Valley on the edge of Mount Aspiring National Park. This glaciated valley is over 40km long and contains numerous random outcrops of ice scoured and weather worn rock, more commonly known as Otago Schist. However, they also offer guided trips to other top climbing areas around the Southern Lakes such as The Remarkables Range and Wye Creek near Queenstown, Chinaman's Bluff near Glenorchy and Sebastapol Bluffs near Mt Cook.