It was not a problem in the slightest, Sir Ed said, and duly offered me a seat.
I'd heard that depending on his mood and circumstances he could be a bit tetchy at times so after introducing myself I broke the ice by cheekily asking, "So what's your big claim to fame then Sir Edmund?"
He smiled and leaned forward and said quietly, "Oh, I've climbed the odd hill here and there".
He was a wonderful man and great company for that all-too-short time. He wasn't overly fussed about verbally wandering off on mountain-climbing missions - he wanted to stress the importance of maintaining the educational and welfare work he had so passionately sparked in Nepal.
Sir Ed was delighted to catch up with a local chap by the name of Ron Ward as they would set out on climbing expeditions during respite days in their wartime service in the Pacific aboard Catalinas. Equipment was basic but they climbed some ferocious peaks in the islands.
And like many had before, and many have since, Sir Ed provided proof most positive that as a small and relatively isolated little country we tend to punch above our weight on the international stage.
He was not the only Kiwi to make a mark on Mount Everest (which I have discovered was originally pronounced Eve-rest). In 1988 Lydia Bradley became the first woman in the world to climb the great mountain without oxygen - a quite remarkable feat given that at that altitude it is essential aircraft provide pressurisation and fresh air to passengers. She is also the only Kiwi to have achieved the feat without oxygen.
She's used to it though - working as an assistant climbing guide here and overseas, specialising in the high altitude stuff.
I get edgy climbing the ladder to clean the guttering.
She is the focus of Saturday's episode of NZ Story, a series which, like its participants, is punching above its weight given it only has about 22 minutes to get the stories across.
NZ Story, TV1 at 7pm Saturday: It has been said that we Kiwis are a tad relaxed about our ambitions and achievements, and can be backward in coming forward into the spotlight. Which is not such a bad thing as modesty is to be admired. But there comes a time when we do have to stand up and say "Look at what we've done" and pay tribute to those who make a mark. Lydia Bradley, a name many will not have heard before, is one of them. Climb every mountain? She pretty well has.
