Auckland retiree climbs Malaysian mountain to raise money for charity

Robert Wynn climbed the mountain's 4000-plus metres last month. Photo / Facebook.

Eighty-five-year-old Auckland resident Robert Wynn climbed Indonesia’s Mount Kinabalu last month to raise money for the SPCA.

He told the Herald he was interested in climbing a mountain, and in doing so, why not break a record.

“My chiropractor suggested Mount Kinabalu because there weren’t any records for the oldest person to climb it,” he said.

“So I thought if I’m going to climb a mountain, I may as well try and break a record.”

Unfortunately for Wynn, the Guinness World Records doesn’t include Mount Kinabalu as part of its achievements.

The organisation said climbing the mountain was not notable enough to merit a world record.

But Wynn had the idea that, if he was going to go all the way to Indonesia to climb a mountain, he might as well raise some money for his favourite charity the SPCA.

The charity’s Legacies Supporter Care officer Louise Dilly said Wynn has been an SPCA supporter for decades.

“Even though Guinness World Records don’t recognise climbing Kinabalu as a record, we still think that climbing the mountain at 85 years old is an incredible achievement,” said Dilly.

Mount Kinabalu stands at 4095 metres above sea level and is the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea.

It derives its name from the Kadazan word “Aki Nabalu”, meaning “the revered place of the dead”.

Wynn told the Herald he encountered orangutans in the bush on Sabah.

“I did a few bush treks with the guide and we saw some in their natural environment,” he said.

“We were driving along an unsealed road in the bush and saw an orangutan on the side of the road so we bailed out of the truck.

“It was three metres away, but didn’t pay attention to us.”

Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea. Photo / Getty

After finishing the hike, he wasn’t affected by the altitude sickness but was naturally a bit tired.

“My legs were a bit sore.”

However, he said there is a big difference between looking at the mountain far away to looking at it close up.

“When you’re on it, you’re forced to navigate around big boulders, stones and granite rock,” he said.

“I spoke to another climber who said that when she climbed a mountain in Tibet, there were better-defined tracks than on Kinabalu.”

The 85-year-old is a seasoned traveller, having been to 19 countries in his life, including North Korea in 2017.

He wants to go back after finally recovering from climbing Kinabalu.

Dilly said Wynn has raised more than $200 so far.

“We are very grateful for the charity that will go towards animal welfare activities across New Zealand _ wherever it is needed most.”