Sir Ed's house on the move

Sir Ed's house (bottom) is surrounded by mansions, including that belonging to Terry Jarvis (top). Photo / Herald on Sunday

Sir Edmund Hillary's home has been saved from the wrecker's ball and will be moved to the school that bears the famous New Zealander's name.

Sir Ed's home will be shifted from the Remuera to Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate in South Auckland next month, at a cost of around $200,000.

Its relocation follows almost a year of uncertainty after the Hillary family sold the house for $1.9 million to neighbour, multi-millionaire and former New Zealand cricketer Terry Jarvis. "I really wanted it to go somewhere where it would be utilised in the community as a legacy," Jarvis said yesterday. "I had a number of applications but it would have meant the public wouldn't have had access to it."

Jarvis had also had discussions with Auckland Museum and former mountaineer Graeme Dingle, who proposed relocating the house to a site at Kaipara Harbour for his Project K foundation.

Dingle was unavailable last night, but his partner Jo-Anne Wilkinson said that saving the house was their main concern. "The fact that it is going to the Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate is a positive thing."

The top floor will be cut into four pieces and, with all the fittings from the ground floor, trucked to the new site. A replica of the ground floor, including Sir Ed's study, will be rebuilt at the school. "Every part and every fitting that can be utilised will be taken. [School commissioner] Gail Thomson is adamant she wants an absolute replica," Jarvis said, adding architects were confident they could achieve this.

Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate is a low-decile school with students from around 30 nationalities. The school plans to use the house as a leadership centre. Jarvis said the house would send a message to students. "You don't have to live in a flash house. You can still do great things if you live in a modest house."

In May, Jarvis said the house - built by Sir Ed in 1956, three years after he conquered Everest - had few features worth saving, apart from Sir Ed's study. Real estate guru Graham Wall said at the time the house was being treated "like a sentimental icon by the Herald on Sunday but no one else at this stage".

Thomson said the move was wonderful for the school. "We really appreciate being given the house and it is our duty and honour to preserve it."

The house would host student leadership programmes and would also be available for the community.

Lady Hillary said last night the project was "fantastic".

Jarvis said he, the Government and, hopefully, a corporate sponsor would help fund the move. A founder of Sky TV, Jarvis has a fortune of $80 million, according to last year's NBR Rich List.

Jarvis said once the house was shifted, he would clear the section and decide what to do. "The real issue for us was that Sir Ed's house was right within millimetres of our boundary - right on top of us. It would be nicer with trees rather than a wooden wall."

- HERALD ON SUNDAY