Kate Gardiner was born on 21st September 1885 the
daughter of wealthy retired shipowner, Frederick Gardiner, and his wife Alice
(née Evans). She was brought up living in a substantial mansion, The Gables, on
what was then Vale Road L25 (the stretch involved became part of Menlove Avenue
when it was built).
Her father was a passionate mountaineer and the young Kate
accompanied him on his forays into the Alps, climbing Mt. Breithorn (4016m) when
she was just 10 years old. Gripped by the same fervour as her father, she made
mountaineering her lifelong pursuit, her ability to devote herself to it full
time reflecting the family’s wealth.
In 1926, her interest sparked by a photograph of Mt. Cook
she found when clearing up her late mother’s belongings, she travelled to New
Zealand determined to ascend the peak. Her guides were equally struck by her
lack of the fitness to succeed in such a venture and her grim determination to
succeed. She returned in 1928, better prepared, and reached the summit, becoming
only the eighth woman to do so.
Her next expedition was to the Canadian Rockies,
successfully climbing Mt. Assiniboine, the ‘Matterhorn’ of the range. This set
a pattern which she followed for some years, climbing in the Southern Alps
during the New Zealand summer, the rest of the year split between Canada and
the Alps. After several failed attempts she became the second woman to climb New
Zealand’s second highest peak, Mt. Tasman. She continued to climb well into her
sixties, eventually settling in Hastings, New Zealand where she lived until her
death on 29th January 1974. Her ashes were subsequently interred at
Allerton Cemetery.
Mountaineering was one of many areas of endeavour in which
women had to battle against ill-founded prejudice. As had her father before
her, Kate Gardiner climbed an enormous number of challenging peaks, giving the
lie to the notion that women were physically incapable of pursuing this most
testing of pursuits.
