The Kaipo Wall

The Kaipo. Aotearoa's Terminal Wall.

After a beautiful summer in Europe and Scandinavia discovering the fine line and raw power of wingsuit base jumping. I found myself back in the relatively flat North Island of New Zealand preparing to retire my slider for another year. Apart from the one and a few beautiful slider off sites close to home the opportunity to fly a wingsuit from land had yet to be discovered…….
So the search began! Starting with topographical maps and photographs of areas of interest weeks went by until a few options presented themselves. To my surprise where a few mountains in the South Island with a committing but achievable rock drop high enough to launch a wingsuit and get it flying. Not knowing a few names of some peaks in the photo’s I had found online I contacted the New Zealand alpine club to see if they could put names to face’s and if anyone in the climbing world had any tall tales of big walls in New Zealand. The reply from the NZAC delivered the goods. Names, locations and contacts but it was the last line which had me sitting up “I think the Kaipo is the biggest wall in New Zealand”. Hastily I googled the Kaipo Wall the first line I read was, this is New Zealand biggest wall at 1300m/4300ft, followed by a photo of a climber topping out showing a huge vertical section. I peak out and have a surreal feeling come over me as I sit in front of the computer. “This is it” I say aloud. “This is Aotearoa’s terminal wall”


Pioneering a base site amplifies the beauty of the game we play. Weeks sometimes months of planning can come to seconds. Pioneering project’s can be very intense and committing due to the fact there is often a lot of unknown’s. This is why it’s normally shared with the closest of base family. Trust and honesty are priority. That’s why I had no hesitation contacting Jason Cyran (JJJ) and Benjamin Macpherson. Over the years we have traveled the globe together and opened up several sites. There immediate reaction was a definite yes. None of us could miss out on an opportunity like this.

Over the next few months JJJ and I conversed via phone and email organizing logistics and the itinerary. Having him living in Queenstown for the summer was a bonus. Once we had dates and plans confirmed Benny and I loaded the van and departed on our two day journey to Queenstown where we would be based for the next three weeks.

Fiordland World heritage area located at 45 degrees latitude on the west coast of the South Island is notorious for its rainfall and generally disturbed weather.

So we had to be patient and wait for the perfect high pressure system. The next ten days involved serious meteorological study and deep discussion over climbing guides and topographical maps. A nightcap of green ginger wine helped settle the nerves. After a final gear check and a kai gathering mission we were on the road to Milford chasing the weather we needed to be successful. Early on in the planning of this expedition we discovered that one of the legal landing areas in Fiordland was the Ngapunatoru Ice plateau (7000 ft ASL). This would make a perfect base camp and provide us with excellent access to the top of the wall. On the 3rd of March we charted a helicopter from Milford Sound to the plateau.

Before landing on the glacier we were to call home for the next few days we requested the pilot fly over the edge of the wall so we could come face to face with Kaipo for the first time….. The void was huge. This ancient, glacial carved valley spanned more than 1.8 kilometers across and 1.4 kilometers high. We hovered a few hundred meters out in front of the wall. I sat stunned just steering into space, studying the features of granodiorite as they glisten in the morning sun.

The pilot has trouble ascending back to the glacier but eventually we land in between rivers of crevasses on a hard packed, semi flat piece of
ice. After unloading our packs and watching the chopper disappear into sun we were alone for the first time in the Darrans.

Leaving our gear we started navigating our way though bottomless crevasses and thin ice bridges up to the back of the wall. Touching the rock for the first time involved jumping off a cornice over small gap. From there we climbed up the dry sharp rock, lay down on the edge and peered down the wall. I get that feeling around height like something is trying to pull you off. A beautiful feeling really, especially if you’ve got a base rig on. The silence is broken “It’s a bit positive” The huge upper section of the wall was obstructed by a ledge about 300ft from the launch.

Over the next two hours we travel behind the wall searching for an exit point. Rock Drops return 4 seconds to impact and slightly more with a push. This was acceptable for an experienced wingsuit pilot but apart from being the first humans to dive off the Kaipo it was to be Benny’s first wingsuit BASE jump and JJJ was attempting to track it. Sickos. So we needed to be really confidant in our exit point selection. Benny suggested we travel left further down the wall towards the coast. Climbing angled slabs we discover the cleanest part of the wall. Even though it still had out crops of rock which impeded our vision with a big push it delivered a 10 second rock drop it would be tight but achievable. If the Kaipo was to be jumped this is where it would take place.




This was nick named Benny’s ledge. Now we know the Kaipo could be jumped our concerns were on how we were going to get out from the landing area. We had read of one access route to the valley floor and intended to use this to get back to camp.

After a late lunch and base camp set up Benny and I set out on a recon. 4 hours of climbing behind the wall and over glaciers gave us a vantage point where we could see the ridgeline we would climb to half way peak, a main reference point on the map. Sitting back at camp mongrelism stuffing our faces with hot noodles and tuna we decided jump at 9 o’clock. It wasn’t long before the boys were climbing into the tent; it was sub zero and getting colder. I stayed out for a bit and watched the sunset over the Tasman Sea.

Disturbed sleep and jump visualization would plague all three of us throughout the night. Being Benny’s first wingsuit flight off a huge remote wall that hasn’t been jumped and to top it off you can’t see past 400ft made for a restless night. JJJ was first up he wanted to watch the sunrise over Mt Tutoko. We weren’t far behind him. While waiting for water to boil we warmed up our legs by practicing positive two foot launch on the ice. I couldn’t help wondering if someone saw us that morning. What would they think seeing three idiots walking around in circles measuring standing jumps in the middle of nowhere. Porridge was then eaten in silence. True silence there was not a breath of wind.


This day was perfect! I can’t recall one word being spoken as we followed our footsteps back to the exit point. It was much the same as we geared up. It took a few moments to find Benny’s ledge again, remembering the wall is over a kilometer wide. After a few more rock drops to remember what was ahead of us. I found myself standing tall and exposed on the exit point. Silence again. After our final words and respects to each other I look down the valley and push hard and long driving my wingsuit off the wall. Out the top of my vision I watched the 4 second ledge come up and slide away. I’m flying I say to myself as I induce a steep smooth left hand carve to start lining up some ledges and angled sections of rock to play with. Speed = Lift I remind myself as I fly back at the wall to have closer look at a recessed glacier. Close is fun and that remains the theme of my flight. After a minute I bank off the wall and fly into the valley and pitch higher than normal due to the landing area being a boulder and scree field with streams and alpine bush everywhere.
Landing in the valley floor and looking back to where I had just come from was an overload.

I couldn’t pick out the exit point and could hardly work my camera as I was trying to contain my emotions. I opted to watch my brothers with my own eyes. JJJ is an orange speck screaming down a vast grey backdrop.

The mad bastard launched into a track or die jump and styled it. Taking angles in his track to find more height as he pulled off the wall into clean air. After a low pull and a quick turn under canopy he disappears into the scrub. Standing down the valley I steer back up at the wall looking for Benny. Suddenly I see a flash off to the right I turn to see a fast white wingsuit flying along the wall. Benny’s first base flight will defiantly be one to remember. He also styles it as I watch him pitch over my head then let loose a cream of elation that echoes down the valley. Benny landed right beside me. As you could imagine we were ecstatic. Before walking up and across the valley to meet JJJ.

We filled up the water bladders and took our first drink from the head waters of the remote Kaipo River. Probably the best water I’ve ever had. Together again we talk about our flights and experience at a hundred miles per hour. The energy was electric. A huge feeling of pride and relief carried us up the 10hour plus route on the eastern side of the valley to half way peak. We climb hard and fast over very steep terrain and were in striking distance of the plateau and the safety of camp mongrelism. As we pushed on the climb became extremely exposed and technical.

It wasn’t long before we realized continuing this route just too risky given the fact there were immanent death falls everywhere and time was running out we made the call as a team to turn back to the valley floor to seek shelter for the night. Knowing we weren’t going to make our rendezvous with the helicopter the following morning, which would probably result in a full scale search being launched. We began an epic walk down the Kaipo Valley searching for the only other legal and accessible landing area the Kaipo hut. As our map was due to end in 4 kilometers we had to rely on memory of other maps. Unfortunately our memories lead us on a 48 hour epic with no food and only our canopies for shelter. We covered over 40 kilometers of remote and dense bush which included 40 river crossings. During which we draw energy off each other taking turns at leading the charge with no quick solution insight. Eventually we arrive at the Tasman Sea.

The ever optimistic JJJ states “I’ve always wanted to go on a fast” as he wades through another section of river towards the beach. Even though we were still in good spirits we knew we had to let people know where we were, as we were soon to be missing persons in the Darran mountain system. So the next morning Benny strolled down the beach and triggered our remote locator beacon we jumped into the valley incase one of us had an accident. 5 hours later the distant rumble of a helicopter gets louder as Southland rescue honed in on our signal. Even though we weren’t happy about sounding the alarm.

It was necessary and we were commended by the crew for having the beacon. As we weren’t injured they left us on the beach and sent out Milford helicopter services to evacuate us back to Milford. Despite the alternate route home The Kaipo Wall expedition was a huge success on many levels. Personally this will go down as the most fulfilling and spiritual base adventures of my life not just for the sheer enormity of the project and wall. But for it’s location. My Home Country Aotearoa. And the awesome passionate people I was lucky enough to share it with.

Run Hard, Run Low!
Aotearoa B.A.S.E

Al!
Deepseed.