Sir Edmund Hillary

Edmund Hillary is one of the most famous people ever to come from New Zealand. Is he a rock star? No. Is he a film actor? No. Is he a writer, a scientist, a sportsman? No no no. Edmund Hillary, together with Tenzing Norgay, was the first man to successfully climb to the tallest point on the surface of our planet - the summit of Mount Everest.

He was born on the 20th July 1919 in a place called Tuakau. The nearest city was Auckland, which is where he went to school. From an early age he became interested in climbing and spent long hours dreaming of adventures. After leaving school he joined the New Zealand Air Force, and six years after the war ended he was joined a British expedition to find out more information about the mountain which nobody could climb. It is 29,028 feet high, or 8,848 metres if you prefer. In any case, it's extremely cold and there is very little oxygen. Two years later, in 1953, he went back there as part of the team which planned to get to the top. They weren't the first to try. Before then as many as 15 groups had attempted the dangerous climb but nobody had succeeded. On this particular trip, Hillary wasn't the first to go up. Another pair almost succeeded but gave up only 100metres away from the top. So next Hillary, who was 33, tried. On the 29th May he went up with his guide, a Nepalese man called Tenzing, and together they made it. It was an incredible feeling for them. They were the first people in the history of the human race to stand where they stood then. Before them Amundsen went to the South Pole, and some years later Armstrong walked on the moon. They were all heroes.

News of the triumph got back to England on the very morning that Queen Elisabeth had her coronation. The nation celebrated two great events. Hillary was knighted, that is to say he became Sir, and Tenzing got the George Medal. The experience that these two men shared led to a lifelong friendship, and Hillary worked to provide schools, hospitals and services for the Nepalese community.

When interviewers asked how he felt standing on top of the world, he replied that in fact the best moment was getting back down safely and being able to look up to where he had been. There is no photo of Hillary at the top, only of Tenzing. This is because Tenzing didn't know how to use the camera!

The Himalayas became a great passion, but also was the cause of much sadness to him. His wife and daughter died in Nepal in a plane crash. Another plane crash affected him some years later. At this time Air New Zealand flew tourists to Antarctica and Hillary was often an expert guide on the flights. Did I mention that he also walked to the South Pole? No? Oh, well he did that too. Anyway, on this particular flight on 28th November 1979 Hillary had another engagement and so asked his friend to act as guide instead. Sadly the plane crashed into a volcanic mountain and everyone died. 237 passengers and 20 crew. This is the worst disaster in New Zealand's aviation history.

Hillary still travels the world today and is considered one of the greatest adventurers in history. He said once, after an unsuccessful attempt to climb Everest: "You defeated me, but you won't defeat me again. You have grown all you can grow, but I am still growing" And sure enough, he was right.