New Zealanders bid farewell to national hero Hillary

Source: Xinhua | 01-22-2008 11:09

WELLINGTON, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Just as he did in 1953 when he conquered Mount Qomolangma, Edmund Hillary captured the hearts and minds of the world on Tuesday as it bid the hero farewell.  

Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Mount  Qomolangma, makes a speech during the 50th Anniversary  celebration at Scott Base in Antarctica in this Jan.  20, 2007 photo. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Hillary, widely regarded as the greatest New Zealander, was honored at a state funeral, at St Mary's church in New Zealand's largest city of Auckland.

Dignitaries, friends and family squeezed inside the elegant wooden church to say goodbye to the modest gangling mountaineer.

Outside the church, about 5,000 people gathered in the nearby Auckland Domain to watch the service on big screens, then watched the funeral procession passing by. Outdoor screens were also set up in Wellington, Christchurch and other cities across the country.

Just after 11 a.m. local time (2200 GMT Monday), a bell rang to start the formal proceeding. The bell was from the ship HMNZS Endeavor, the ship that took Hillary to Antarctica in 1956 to set up Scott Base.

Coverage of the funeral of the climber and explorer was being beamed around the world, going to Scott Base in Antarctica and to Nepal TV by satellite link.

Sir Edmund Hillary (R) and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay smile  during their first interview with Reuters special  correspondent Peter Jackson after their legendary ascent of Mount Qomolangma (summit to right of Hillary's head)  at camp in Thyangboche, Nepal in this June 6, 1953 file  photo. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Hillary, who died on Jan. 11 aged 88, was as much loved in Nepal as in his homeland, after 48 years of dedicating himself to improving the health and well-being of the Sherpas.

He and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay were first to reach the summit of Mount Qomolangma on May 29, 1953.

Members of the Himalayan Trust set up in 1960 played leading roles at his funeral, with tributes by Ang Rita Sherpa, the chief administrative officer of the Himalayan Trust, and Norbu Tenzing Norgay, elder son of Sherpa Tenzig Norgay, who climbed Mount Qomolangma with Hillary.

Hillary's casket was draped in a New Zealand flag then covered in Nepalese khadas -- Buddhist prayer scarves.