NZ bids "hero" Hillary goodbye
Tuesday, 22 Jan 2008 08:11
Sir Edmund Hillary's last journey
Thousands of New Zealanders have bid farewell to Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary as his funeral was broadcast on big screens.
Around 500 dignitaries were present at St Mary's Anglican Church in Auckland for the ceremony after Sir Edmund died aged 88 on January 11th.
Ice axes were held aloft by a guard of mountaineers before the coffin was greeted by pupils from Sir Edmund Hillary College performing the traditional Maori haka dance.
Sir Edmund was the first man to climb Mount Everest in May 1953, winning him a knighthood from the newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth.
He went on numerous other exploring expeditions afterwards but biographers said his biggest achievement was on development work in Nepal.
New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark said: "In reality he was a colossus, he was our hero, he brought fame to our country."
Sir Edmund's son Peter called his father a "real people's hero" while Norbu Tenzing, who reached the summit of Mount Everest with him, said the grief of sherpas was comparable only to that experienced through the loss of a parent.
Prayer scarves were laid on top of Sir Edmund's coffin along with the ice axe he used on his famous 1953 ascent.
The funeral cortege departed for a private cremation service. Sir Edmund had expressed a wish to have his ashes scattered in Auckland harbour, making the "full circle of my life complete".