KEY POINTS:
1:50pm: Heavy rain leads to a shortening of the queue of people waiting to pay their respects. However hundreds have already filed past Sir Ed's casket and a number of people are still waiting inside the cathedral.
12.40pm: The queue of people waiting to pay their respects rises
to several hundred and snakes around the block.
Russell Wackrow, from Devonport, said Sir Ed was the greatest New Zealander.
"You can tell by the number of people lined up here," he told nzherald.co.nz.
11.30am: The cathedral reopens and members of the public are allowed to file past Sir Ed's casket to pay their final respects.
11.00am: The cathedral is closed to allow Sir Ed's family time alone with his casket.
10.00am: Sir Edmund Hillary's casket arrives at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell, Auckland.
9.55am: New Zealand Nepalese association president Shreedhar Basnyat said the last time he saw Sir Edmund was when he took his elderly mother to meet the man he describes as "the guardian of Nepal."
"He was very hospitable even though his health was not good."
Tributes and songs have been dedicated to Sir Ed on the Nepalese community access radio. Mr Basnyat said Sir Ed was the binding force between New Zealand and the people of Nepal. He said up 200 people from the community will visit the cathedral to pay their respects to Sir Ed.
9.39am: About 50 people from the Nepalese community have gathered at the cathedral. Shyam Madhikarny, who met Sir Ed on a number of occasions, says:
"All of us came here to pay our humble respects to Sir Ed. Sir Ed was so humble and a nice person, his door was always open and his heart was open."
9.20am: There were heavy gusts of rain during the powhiri, which was led by Tokotai Moana Wikiriwhi from Ngati Whatua. Delegates of the tribe wore garlands of willow branches around their heads. The powhiri was welcomed on to the church grounds by Anglican archdeacon Hone Kaa.
Flowers have just arrived at the church from the Indian community. Women dressed in turqoise sari arrived bearing plates of flowers.
8.47am: Last minute preparations are being made at the Holy Trinity cathedral in Parnell as church staff and other funeral organisers prepare for the arrival of the body of Sir Edmund Hillary.
Members of Ngati Whatua have gathered outside the entrance to the church grounds where the New Zealand flag hangs at half mast.
