R.I.P. Sir Edmund

Edmund Hillary passed away the day before our arrival in Auckland. Here in NZ flags have been at half mast; notes and flowers have been collecting in front of the various Hillary statues and portraits that dot the country; newspapers are filled with reflective anecdotes about his life.



We were in Queenstown the day of his funeral; on television we watched the Auckland procession and ceremonies that included large Nepali and Maori contingents.

Hillary was knighted by Queen Elizabeth (apparently it was one of the first things she did upon ascending the throne), and there were some ruffled feathers in the NZ press (to put it nicely) when it was found out the royal family had no plans to send any representatives to the funeral.