Mayor climbs Kilimanjaro

Auckland's mountaineering mayor, Dick Hubbard, has added Africa's highest peak, Mt Kilimanjaro, to the list of summits he has climbed.

He made it to the top of the 5895m mountain in fine, cold conditions last Thursday.

"It's quite something," he said last night, soon after returning home from Tanzania.

"It was absolutely beautiful. You get up there just before dawn. You see the African sun rising - it comes up very fast - and it was very cold, about minus 20C. It was a very special feeling."

Mr Hubbard has developed a liking for high places. He climbed high on the summit ridge of Aoraki Mt Cook in 2000 and to near the 6962m top of Aconcagua, South America's highest mountain, in 2001.

He is planning a trip up Mt Aspiring next summer.

For the guided climb of Mt Kilimanjaro, Mr Hubbard was in a team of six, including his 26-year-old son, Gavin.

Mt Kilimanjaro is considered largely a tramping mountain, although it has glaciers and there are harder routes, plus the risk of altitude sickness.

The trip took Mr Hubbard's group four days up, including a rest day for acclimatisation, and one down.

He said it pushed him to his limit and his body was so sore that at his accommodation after the climb he had to hang on tight to the handrails when using the stairs.

Asked if Auckland City issues weighed on his mind during the long climb up the mountain, Mr Hubbard said he became determined to deal with the issues of a mountain closer to home.

A council review of its Mt Eden management plan has suggested measures including banning tour buses, offering tourists the option of guided walks to the top.