Fifty-five years ago, on 29 May 1953, Ed Hillary stood on top of the world. The legendary mountaineer, adventurer and philanthropist, who died on 11 January 2008, became the best-known New Zealander ever to have lived. His familiar, craggy face even adorns our $5 note.
After charting the coastline, European surveying and exploration of the interior were a fundamental part of the settlement process, defining the boundaries of ownership, and identifying resources, useable land and access routes.
On 29 May – four days before the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II – Hillary and the experienced Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mt Everest and became the first men to stand on the ‘roof of the world’.
Through the 1960s and 1970s Ed Hillary’s life followed a familiar
pattern of international travel, lecture tours and fund-raising for
Sherpa projects, interspersed with expeditions in the Himalayas,
Pacific, Antarctica and New Zealand.
In 1987 Ed Hillary was among the first 20 people selected as members of
the Order of New Zealand (ONZ), this country’s highest honour. He has been the recipient of numerous honours during his lifetime.
