David Baker on the mountain with his family and other supporters. Photo / Carl O'Sullivan
A Ngātea pensioner who climbed Taranaki Maunga to mark his 90th birthday says it was a “humbling” experience.
David Baker is believed to be the oldest person to have ever reached the 2581m summit.
Baker grew up on a family farm in the shadow of Taranaki Maunga, and it has been his playground ever since.
“It was hard against the boundary of the last farm before you went into the bush. and I used to chase goats with my dog in the bush above the farm. I even climbed the mountain when I was 12. I followed up some men who were cutting steps in the ice on my own - just went off up the mountain.”
He has climbed Taranaki frequently since, including on his 70th and 80th birthdays, and decided if he made the ascent again for his 90th, it would be to raise funds for Starship Hospital.
Although Baker reckoned he had trained hard for Friday’s climb, it was not without incident.
“Coming down is worse than going up. Down those marbles on the scoria, my feet went out from under me, and bang, down I went. At my age, my problem with that climb was that I’m now losing my balance - my reflexes aren’t as quick.”
He was modest about what he had achieved.
“For my age, that I am fortunate enough to do something like that when so many people are suffering and cannot even live to this stage, it humbles me. And the people that say to me ‘You’re a marvel’ - I just feel I’m a pretty ordinary guy.”
He set out from North Egmont before dawn and needed six hours to reach the summit, where he had an hour-long break before tackling the five-hour descent.
Baker said he had brushed up okay after the ordeal.
“The next day I was fine. I have some skin off my elbow and my tailbone is a little sore from when I came down on the scoria. Except for that, I’ve managed the climb effortlessly.”
Baker was accompanied on the climb by his wife Helen, 71, his two sons, Gary and Trevor, two grandchildren and extended family and friends.
A workmate of Trevor’s - experienced climber Carl O’Sullivan - took Baker under his wing for the day.
O’Sullivan said Baker needed remarkably little help.
“Just a hand up in the steeper places. Sort of just before you get into the crater, there’s a few steps where it’s quite a high step to get up to the next level, so I just grabbed his arm and helped pull him up a bit.
“And towards the end, I was arm-in-arm with him helping him across the line.”
He said Baker had the ability to brush off the hairier moments of the climb.
“Coming down the scoria, we had a bit of a fall. I was arm-in-arm with him helping him down there, and we fell backwards both at the same time and both skinned our elbows a little bit.
“So, we had a little bit of a laugh about that once we realised we were all right and carried on.”
He was in awe of his climbing companion.
“It was unbelievable, really. He just chugged away the whole time at the same pace, talking the whole way.
“I’ve learned his whole life story, pretty much. He’s pretty fit for his age; most people probably wouldn’t believe he’s 90.”
Trevor Baker admitted to some trepidation ahead of the climb.
“I was a bit worried personally, but thanks to Carl - he ended up carrying Dad under his wing, so I could kind of drop back and help Mum.
“I mean, we wouldn’t have been able to do it without his help, for sure. Well, possibly, but it would’ve been much harder.
“So, yeah, nah, I’m just absolutely blown away by what Dad’s achieved.”
Trevor said the family had agreed it would be his father’s last summit.
“I suggested he do it for his 91st, 92nd, but someone else said Mum was going to shoot me with comments like that, so I think that’s that for him.”
The Bakers marked David’s achievement and birthday with a family dinner in New Plymouth.
The oldest person previously recorded to have climbed Taranaki is Alfred H. Reed, who was 86 in 1961 when he climbed to the summit via the North Ridge, accompanied by Snow Mace and J Taylor.