Ranikhet, A jewel in the Himalayan crown

I plan to spend some days in the Western Himalayas in mid November, so I thought I would do a few postings of my favourite spots there. First is Ranikhet, my jewel in the crown.

Ranikhet is one on my favourite destination in the Indian Himalaya which stands at 1824 m above sea level. Ranikhet is located in the northern Indian state of Uttaranchal. in the Kumaon Hills, From here you get some of the best views of the Western Himalaya. 

My good friend from Christchurch, Ed Cotter, agreed with me that Ranikhet was one of his favourites too, and he first visited there in !951 with Sir Edmund Hillary

The 1951 New Zealand Garhwhal Expedition sailed to Colombo and travelled by train through India and on the way to Garhwal, Hillary wrote to Eric Shipton asking if he might join the Everest Reconnaissance Expedition of 1951.

When the four-man party had done with their peak they arrived in Ranikhet to be greeted by a telegram inviting two of them to join Shipton's party. Hillary, as the fittest and best-acclimatised of the four, was obvious first choice, and set out immediately for Nepal. It was the start of a lifelong love affair. With Shipton, too, there was an immediate rapport: "I felt a sense of relief at his unshaven face and scruffy clothes.".


George Lowe and Ed Cotter, members of the first New Zealand expedition to the Himalayas, study photos from the journey, which includes photos of Ranikhet. Photo / Simon Baker

The views from Ranikhet and small villages nearby are superb. You can see the Western Himalaya stunning and the view of the Nanda Devi is superb . There are a number of attractions in Ranikhet that  arew orth visiting such as the Chaubatia Gardens which  is large orchard that is spread over an area of 265 acres. Ranikhet is popular for two of its temples. Jhoola Devi Ka Mandir was constructed some 400 years ago in honor of the local Goddess, who protected the people from man-eating tigers. The other important temple is Kali Devi ka Mandir, which has a large number of bells. The site of the temple is believed to be 5000 years old.

The other places that one can visit include Bhaludham, which is an artificial lake. Upat Kalika some four kilometres from Ranikhet on the main road to Almora is an ideal spot to admire snow capped Himalayan peaks.

In 1975 when I lived in Nepal and again from 2000 to 2006 when I lived in India, I visited the many places in view of the might Nanda Devi. Straddling the regions of Garhwal and Kumaon, close to the Tibetan border, Nanda Devi (7816 m), is the geographical and spiritual high point of India. Surrounding the peak is an incredible expanse of mighty 6000 and 7000 metre peaks. Nanda Devis's inner sanctuary is currently off limits to climbers and trekkers. However at one time it was the coveted destination of several early 20th century expeditions all of which failed to reach the sancturay until Eric Shipton and Bill Tilman reached it via the Rishi Ganga gorge in 1932. Tilman eventually climbed the main peak for the first time in 1936.

The three photos below show views of Ranikhet, starting with a painting by an unknown British artist


Nanda Devi Base Camp below




Kumaon Himalaya




The valley of flowers


Pindari Glacier

Panchu glacier near Nanda Devi Base camp

Places of pilgrimages -birds and mountains in New Zealand

I arrived in Colombo in the early hours of Wednesday morning from Christchurch via Singapore. From zero degree celcius to 35 degrees in a day is a bit of a shock to the system. But I arrived with such fond memories of NZ. It was the Tui, the Kea and the Kereru (wood pigeon) who welcomed me back, and an avalanche or two acknowledged my presence. Here are a few photos of the birds and my places of pilgrimage.

Tui on a Kowhai at Ross. All bird photos               : Kira McKerrow

I am always astounded by so many shades of brown, white,  gray, green,  black and blue around the Porter's Pass area. Photo: Bob Mckerrow

A pilgrimage to Arthur's Pass is something I do every trip and look up at Rolleston and say a silent prayer to John Harrison, Bruce Ferguson, Colin Robertson, Michael Harper and Jeffrey Wilby who died in the winter of 1966 in that terrible tragedy. and think of the bravery of rescuers Peter Squires, Ian Gardiner and Hans Bohney who received the Royal Humane Society medal for their efforts. New Zealand mountaineering came of age in that fateful winter of 1966.

            I always visit the three peaks I have climbed, guided and rescued on more than any peaks in NZ: Haast, Lendenfeld and Tasman. Photo: Bob McKerrow      

      Is there any better mountain view from Franz Josef township, than Elie de Beaumont from Canavan's Knob ? Photo: Bob McKerrow

And, further south of Franz Josef, the seldom explored valleys of misty South Westland. Photo: Bob McKerrow

The Waiho River which drains the Burton, Spenser, Callery and Franz Josef glaciers which I could see from my bedroom window when I lived at Franz Josef in the early 90's. Photo: Bob McKerrow

ADDENDUM: Chris Jillet on the summit of Mt. McFettrick, at the head of the Tatare valley, Westland National Park in 1991. I wrote an article in either the 1991 or 1992 NZAJ on this ascent. Chris and I were accompanied by Ed Cotter and Mike Browne, and I remember the four of us sitting in a high camp under McFettrick gazing across at the Maxmillian ridge of Elie de Beaumont, and Ed Cotter describing the route he did with Ed Hillary 50 years earlier.Photo: Bob McKerrow.

This post has been about places of pilgrimages, that I make  on my return to NZ each year. At the forefront of my mind is thoughts and nmemories of those climbing partners who I spent so many happy weeks with in the hills. Quite a few have died. Gollum and Donald have both made reference to Chris Jillet, and surprisingly, we have all climbed with him in at different times. I post this photo to honour a wonderful mountaineer and a superb human being.

Gollum, Donald and others, what do you think about dedicating a blog to Chris Jillet where we can post photos and articles about this ? Bob