Where Did Sir Edmund Hillary Live?

Sir Edmund Hillary lived most of his life in New Zealand. He was born there, died there, and lived there between his trips all over the world to climb mountains, trek across Antarctica, and help out the Nepalese people.  Let’s look at Sir Edmund Hillary's life and accomplishments.      

Sir Edmund Hillary was born on July 20, 1919 in Auckland, New Zealand and that is where he lived all his life. 

• He was an avid mountain climber and was the first man to step foot on the top of Mount Everest. 
• After a school trip to Mount Ruapehu when he was 16, Hillary spent much of his time climbing. 
• He has climbed mountains in Australia, Switzerland, and the Himalayas.  
• Hillary was a beekeeper with his brother Rex.  Since this was mainly a summer occupation, he had the time to climb mountains in the winter months. 
• While living in New Zealand, Sir Edmund Hillary climbed where it was most challenging. He climbed the highest mountain there, Mount Cook, in 1948. 
• Sir Edmund Hillary lived for the exhilaration of climbing to the top of high and treacherous mountains, so he went on to Switzerland.  Naturally his next stop was the Himalayan Mountains.  There, he climbed 11 peaks that were more than 20,000 feet high.  

Conquering Mount Everest

To some people, Hillary’s biggest accomplishment was being the first man to step foot on the summit of Mount Everest. 

• He was part of a team that had 11 members. 
• As they came close to the top, only four men were able to continue. 
• They broke into two teams and the first team was unsuccessful, getting within 300 feet of the top before having to turn back.  Hillary was paired with Tenzing Norgay of Nepal and they made the final attempt to make it to the summit.
• On May 29, 1953, Hillary stepped on the top of Mount Everest and Norgay followed him. They stayed there 15 minutes but had to descend because of their low oxygen supply. 
• Hillary left a cross on top and Norgay left an offering of chocolates. 
• A lifelong friend of Hillary’s, George Lowe, met them with hot soup as they were coming down and Hillary told him, “Well, George, we knocked the bastard off.” 
• Because of their efforts, Hillary and John Hunt, the leader of the expedition, were knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. 

Other Accomplishments of Sir Edmund Hillary

After Everest, Hillary was still an adventurer and joined the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition that crossed Antarctic over land, via the South Pole from 1955 to 1958. They were the first group to be successful in that venture. In 1977, Hillary led a team that traced the route of the Ganges River from its mouth all the way to its source in the Himalayas.

He was concerned with the plight of the people of Nepal and helped build schools and hospitals there. He founded the Himalayan Trust to continue humanitarian efforts for the Sherpa people and to help conservation efforts. He asked the government to protect the area around Mount Everest and make it a national park. Since they didn’t have the money for that, he convinced the government of New Zealand to help.  

Tributes to Sir Edmund Hillary 

On January 11, 2008, Sir Edmund Hillary died of heart failure at the age of 88 in Auckland, New Zealand. Here are some of the tributes made to him both while he was living and after he died. 

• He received an award from the government of India called the Padma Vibhushan, which is its second highest award for civilians. 
• For his work with the Antarctica expedition, he was given the Polar Medal. 
• On the fiftieth anniversary of his climb to the top of Mount Everest, he was made an honorary citizen of Nepal.             
• Two geographical features are named after him: the Hillary Coast in Antarctica and the Hillary Canyon, which is under water in the Ross Sea. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. 

These two quotes sum up his life’s philosophy: 

• “It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” 
• “People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.”  

So, now you know more about where Sir Edmund Hillary lived as well as some details about his life.