Staying Home Sucks, home
Waikato River runs through Huka Lodge near Taupo New Zealand - panoramio
Taupō, the nearest town, 19 km away. Photo: David Broad, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Upper Bluff

Climbing area · New Zealand

Is it worth the trip?

59Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: Rain before today is not known, Rock about 15 °C

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 87 out of 100

Rock
Dry?
Rock temp
15°C
Air
15°C
Rain
0 mm

Tue 3 · 84 out of 100

Rock
Dry
Rock temp
17°C
Air
15°C
Rain
0.1 mm

Wed 4 · 72 out of 100

Rock
Wet
Rock temp
16°C
Air
16°C
Rain
0.7 mm

Thu 5 · 43 out of 100

Rock
Wet
Rock temp
15°C
Air
18°C
Rain
3 mm

Fri 6 · 38 out of 100

Rock
Wet
Rock temp
18°C
Air
18°C
Rain
4.8 mm

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Rock
Wet
Rock temp
18°C
Air
18°C
Rain
7.8 mm

Sun 8 · 6 out of 100

Rock
Wet
Rock temp
20°C
Air
17°C
Rain
0 mm

Tap a day for rock, its warmth, the air and rain. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 140, poor
  2. Mon 287, good
  3. Tue 384, good
  4. Wed 472, good
  5. Thu 543, poor
  6. Fri 638, poor
  7. Sat 70, poor
  8. Sun 86, poor
  9. Mon 984, good
  10. Tue 1076, good

The spot in two facts

  • 8 cragsmapped within 5 km
  • Sport and tradstyles

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know loose rock, seepage, access bans or your skill.

Weather forecast and score for each day at Upper Bluff
DayScoreRockRock tempAirRain
Sun 1Nov*40, poorDry?16°C16°C0 mm
Mon 2Nov*87, goodDry?15°C15°C0 mm
Tue 3Nov84, goodDry17°C15°C0.1 mm
Wed 4Nov72, goodWet16°C16°C0.7 mm
Thu 5Nov43, poorWet15°C18°C3 mm
Fri 6Nov38, poorWet18°C18°C4.8 mm
Sat 7Nov0, poorWet18°C18°C7.8 mm
Sun 8Nov6, poorWet20°C17°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov84, goodWetdry in 6 h15°C16°C1.8 mm
Tue 10Nov76, goodWetdry in 9 h18°C17°C0.6 mm

* Rain before today is not known: the forecast starts today, so these days are scored from a dry start and a wet one.

Rock and air are in °C, the rock's with the sun on it; rain in mm. More

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Map

the area and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

Town

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Upper Bluff

8 crags mapped. Sport and trad. Best from Nov to May. The nearest town to stay in is Taupō.

  • Crags 8 crags mapped.
  • Styles Sport and trad.
  • Rock No source states the rock.

From OpenStreetMap: the crags mapped within 5 km. Check access and bans locally.

Crags: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,650–US$3,170 each

about US$1,650–US$3,170 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, climbing instructor.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to TUO, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$831–US$1,720
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$47–US$80
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$342–US$569
Food7 days eating outabout US$301–US$563
Climbing instructor1 day with an instructor, shared; leave it out if you climb on your ownabout US$127–US$234
Totalabout US$1,650–US$3,170

Climbers bring their own kit: it is not in the cost. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Taupō

Closest

Taupō

33 min by car

about US$127/nightcountry average

See places to stay in Taupō · Booking.com

About Taupō its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$127 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 29h

About 29h door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → TUO, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 40 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.