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japosc
Jul 3, 2008, 9:38 PM
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I'm a peace corps volunteer in Tonga, on the island of 'Eau. I'm working with the ministry of tourism and have been given the go ahead to develop climbing here. There are some fantastic 50-100 meter limestone cliffs over looking the ocean. I have brought some gear and about 20 Fixe marine grade bolts. To establish one or two test routes so that I can post some photos to get some interest going. If your interested post here or drop me a line at japosc@mac.com for details.
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kiwiprincess
Jul 3, 2008, 10:04 PM
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i put a link to this on a NZ site as it's fairly close.
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japosc
Jul 7, 2008, 10:04 PM
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thanks princess. I just signed up for an acount so I can keep in touch with all the kiwis about the developments. I made a trip out to the base of the cliffs to check rock quality. It looks fantastic. I've attached a few pics. These are close to the north end of the island and the cliffs run about 10 kilometers south of the pick. I can't attest to how good those will be for climbing though. It's a bit overhanging and very featured. There should be a great range and variety. What your looking at is about 50-100 meters high. The grey rock with vegitation is really sharp and brittle, but the tan and mottled colored rock is solid.
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guangzhou
Jul 8, 2008, 6:35 AM
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japosc wrote: thanks princess. I just signed up for an acount so I can keep in touch with all the kiwis about the developments. I made a trip out to the base of the cliffs to check rock quality. It looks fantastic. I've attached a few pics. These are close to the north end of the island and the cliffs run about 10 kilometers south of the pick. I can't attest to how good those will be for climbing though. It's a bit overhanging and very featured. There should be a great range and variety. What your looking at is about 50-100 meters high. The grey rock with vegitation is really sharp and brittle, but the tan and mottled colored rock is solid. Sounds like fun. Does the island have an International School by chance? The cliffs look similar to some of the cliffs I developed in Okinawa Japan. Should be fun to play on and develop for sure. Consider using glue-in anchors. They last long and will be safe for years to come. Cheers Eman
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corona
Jul 16, 2008, 10:59 PM
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Looks fantastic! I've always hoped something like that would pop up out in the islands. <-) I've got my handsfull with a similar crag in NZ at the moment, but you could be tempting me with a winter holiday...
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japosc
Jul 21, 2008, 12:14 AM
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Haha! I'm glad to know this is getting some interest. Sorry I've been quite on this thread, but I don't get a whole lot of internet access out here. I hope to have the first few routers up by the end of august and I'll post some pictures of non climber friends top roping so we get a better idea of what the routes look like. So getting here is the hard part. A flight to Tonga is about $1500 (US) from the states, about $400 (NZ) from New Zealand, and about $600(Aus) from Australia. After getting to the main island you have to take a seven minute flight or two hour boat ride to get here. Neither is too expensive. 'Eua is about 80 sq km and has a native population of about 5000 tongans and about 10 foreigners. It's mostly agricultural and not really set up for tourists. If you stay in one of the guest houses its cheap, but quite a ways away from the cliffs, or you can camp at the beach thats a 20 minute walk from the cliffs. There is no hospital and no emergency services. This place isn't for most, but thats what makes it great for some of us. I'll keep you posted on the developments. And if your interested in coming out just drop me a line.
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japosc
Nov 17, 2008, 12:49 AM
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here's some photos of some other cliffs I just found. look for the horses or people at the top for scale.
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Capt_mulch
Nov 23, 2008, 9:28 PM
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Good one Jason, I'm looking for the same stuff in the Solomon Islands this Christmas. I'll keep you posted!!
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orangeoverhang
Nov 25, 2008, 1:00 PM
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This looks amazing. I'd be very interested in helping to bolt routes at this area. I've got lots of experience equipping routes in Oz + I love diving so this would be a perfect trip for me! I also hate mass tourist development so the 'no tourist infrastructure' and beach camping vibe sounds like a dream! I'd be happy to bring hundreds of bolts, drills and weeks worth of energy. Please contact me at nmonteith (at) yahoo (dot) com.
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orangeoverhang
Nov 25, 2008, 1:02 PM
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p.s. - I agree that you should strongly avoid placing expansion bolts on limestone sea-cliffs due to corrosion problems. Use the best grade stainless steel (316) glue-in anchors you can find.
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rtwilli4
Nov 28, 2008, 8:17 AM
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Registered: Feb 14, 2008
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I'm going to PM you about what's going on with these cliffs as I am always open to travel but I wanted to say this here: In my limited experience and long discussions with many people who have bolted limestone sea cliffs, EVEN STAINLESS STEELE is going to corrode after a few (4-8) years. The new standard in SE Asia is Titanium glue ins.
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japosc
Nov 30, 2008, 8:56 PM
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already researched and n the work. Titanium glue ins are what will be used.
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bradlemp
Aug 23, 2010, 7:38 AM
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Any progress in the last couple of years? I'm coming to Tonga in six weeks but pretty average climber (19-20 lead) and no bolting experience so probably not much use to you.
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guangzhou
Aug 23, 2010, 8:46 AM
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bradlemp wrote: Any progress in the last couple of years? I'm coming to Tonga in six weeks but pretty average climber (19-20 lead) and no bolting experience so probably not much use to you. I agree, anything new???????
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