An 11-year-old Nelson boy climbs one of New Zealand’s highest mountains.

Tom Parker was four years old when he and his mother, Leah Parker, encountered unseasonal snow that came up to Tom’s knees while on a tramping trip. 

“He looked up at me and said, ‘Mum, this is too much adventure’,” says Leah, eight years later.

Tom, sitting next to her, chimes in, “And now it’s not enough adventure!” 

Leah has taken both her sons tramping as much as possible, and Tom, the younger, has really taken to it. 

With four friends, she and Tom climbed Tapuae-o-Uenuku in the Inland Kaikōura Range in May. At 2885m, it’s the highest mountain in Aotearoa outside of the Southern Alps, and Tom, aged 11 at the time of the summit, might be one of the youngest people ever to reach the top.

It was a big challenge.“Tappy [a nickname for the mountain] is covered in scree, so every step I took up, I went half a step down again,” Tom says. “We were doing that for ages and I got really tired.” He was glad when they reached some snow and put their crampons on. “Then it was so much easier.” 

When they got to the top Tom was excited. “We could see all the Kaikōura ranges from there, a bit of the North Island and all the way to Kahurangi,” he says. 

Supportive friends were key to making it to the summit and down again safely. Jasper Davidson, Nick Oien, Butch Gamboa and Jim Davidson helped carry Tom’s crampons and alpine boots to Hodder Hut. The adults then redistributed weight so the youngster didn’t need to carry a pack on the way to the summit, and helped Tom with the numerous river crossings during the approach.

Although Tom’s father, Kevin, doesn’t tramp, he’s supportive too. “When we get home he has dinner on the table and space on the washing line – and he’s our main transport for trips,” Leah says. With Kevin’s assistance, Leah and Tom were able to spend their summer going up big hills like Mt Owen and honing their snow skills exploring Brewster Glacier. 

Tom isn’t yet old enough to go on NZ Alpine Club trips, but he’s been volunteering at courses and at the Banff film festival, and has been mentored by Russell Adams from the Nelson–Marlborough branch. Tom says it is hard to find friends his own age who love tramping: “Lots of my friends are on their devices 24/7; that stuff is nice – but you need to go and breathe the air outside.”

Leah and Tom want to work on their snow and avalanche skills, and plan to climb Mt Cupola (2260m) for their next big trip. Leah leads the planning and gets her boys involved in poring over maps, sorting snacks and doing their own packing. 

“Going hiking together really connects us both, we have that shared experience,” says Tom.