NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • All Blacks
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

The mood at Sir Edmund's state funeral

By Belinda McCammon
22 Jan, 2008 04:52 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Peter Beck was interrupted by a cellphone. Photo / John Selkirk
Peter Beck was interrupted by a cellphone. Photo / John Selkirk

Peter Beck was interrupted by a cellphone. Photo / John Selkirk

KEY POINTS:

As solemn and sombre as St Mary's Church was for the state funeral of Sir Edmund Hillary, still there was no escape from ringing cellphones.

Nor did Mother Nature pay due respect to New Zealand's greatest hero, with thundering rain drowning out parts of a moving farewell and soaking some guests.

Three-times ringing cellphones cut through the quiet reflection of the 500 mourners in the intimate Parnell church.

Mourners turned their heads in search of the offending ringtones, no doubt wondering what it would take for some people to turn their phones off.

The Very Reverend Peter Beck, Dean of Christchurch, had a double dose of bad luck, with a cellphone ringing during his tribute and the noise of rain dousing his tribute to Sir Ed.

Despite the church receiving an early spring clean , including new red carpet and seat cushions, the roof was overlooked as a group of alpine club members, who formed the guard of honour outside the church, were to discover firsthand.

As guests struggled to hear Mr Beck over the heavy rain several alpine club members near the rear of the church were doing their best to avoid the leaks, which left their shirts stained by drips.

Despite the hiccups, the deceptively large white church was the right choice for the funeral of someone of Sir Ed's standing despite debate over its size and suitability.

As soon as the guests entered the church, they knew they were part of a special moment in New Zealand's history, which only those in the church could share and understand.

Unlike the Auckland Holy Trinity Cathedral adjacent to the church, where Sir Ed's flag-drapped casket had lain in state since Monday morning, St Mary's was intimate, warm and yet stately.

The Cathedral had seemed impersonal and seemed to swamp Sir Ed's casket in contrast to the rich wooden gothic style interior of St Mary's.

As guests waited for the service to begin, some of Sir Ed's favourite music played, including Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Trouble Water and Sarah Brightman's Time to Say Goodbye, which created a light atmosphere, with people happily chatting away.

Like a switch the atmosphere changed when 15 minutes before the service was due to start, organ music filled the church.

Guests spoke in hushed tones and murmurs and a sombre mood prevailed in anticipation of the service.

The formal atmosphere continued to increase as VIPs, including Auckland mayor John Banks and the Governor-General Anand Satyanand, arrived shortly before 11am.

After a welcome by the Very Reverend Ross Bay, Dame Malvina Major's rendition of How Great Thou Art, set the tone.

By the second verse there were few dry eyes left in the church.

Men wiped tears from their faces with their hands and shirt cuffs, while women dabbed their eyes with handkerchiefs.

After a reading by the Governor-General, the full power of the choir singing And I Saw a New Heaven, rang through the church.

By the time it was the guests' turn to sing The Lord's My Shepherd people were clearly eager to play more than a silent role, singing the hymn in full voice and with great passion.

Prime Minister Helen Clark seemed small as she stood at the pulpit when she gave her tribute to Sir Ed, but her voice was strong and clear and carried the solemnity of the occasion.

But it was the family of Sir Ed, speaking publicly for the first time since his death, who the guests responded to the most.

Guests listened intently as his children Peter and Sarah recalled memories of their childhood with their famous father.

Sarah Hillary caused the guests to laugh first, with the story of how as a child she was unable to find a suitable answer to what her father did for a job.

Ms Hillary's heartfelt tribute to her father was as much a tribute to her mother Lady Louise Hillary and sister Belinda who died in a plane crash in 1975.

Peter Hillary's natural story-telling ability, perhaps inherited from his father, was put to good use as he recounted the "compulsory" adventures the young Hillary family shared both abroad and throughout New Zealand.

Accompanied at times by laughter from the guests, Mr Hillary said the shared time and shared adventures with his father were "an incredible gift he gave to family and friends".

A haunting violin solo, in memory of Lady Louise, settled the guests down into a contemplative mood.

As the congregation stood in silence, waiting for Sir Ed's casket to be taken from the church, the slow beat of a muffled drum as it made its way into the church heightened the atmosphere of the church.

Guests were moved to tears as Sir Ed's casket, followed by family members left the church with the strains of a lone piper playing Abide With Me outside - echoing throughout the church.

Six flat screen televisions were switched on so guests, who were not in the official party, could watch the Sir Ed's casket be given its final send-off with a haka on the Cathedral's forecourt.

When guests were able to leave it was to rain and the sound of clapping, as the hearse made its way past the church where hundreds of people had lined the road in tribute to New Zealand's greatest hero.

- NZPA

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Video shows man being slammed against stall during night market assault, goods flying

21 Jun 09:50 PM
New Zealand

B2 bombers in Guam, Zelenskyy accuses Putin of being 'uninterested' in peace | NZ Herald News Update

New Zealand

'I don't believe it': Sleeping store owner woken by late-night call on $15m Lotto win

21 Jun 08:57 PM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
'I don't believe it': Sleeping store owner woken by late-night call on $15m Lotto win
New Zealand

'I don't believe it': Sleeping store owner woken by late-night call on $15m Lotto win

21 Jun 08:57 PM
'We beat ourselves': Webster rues Warriors defeat to depleted Panthers
Warriors

'We beat ourselves': Webster rues Warriors defeat to depleted Panthers

21 Jun 08:00 PM
Budget beauty: Men's products that beat the 'pink tax'
Viva - Beauty

Budget beauty: Men's products that beat the 'pink tax'

21 Jun 08:00 PM
Suzy Cato on overcoming redundancy, helping children, and why she's never met her biological father
Lifestyle

Suzy Cato on overcoming redundancy, helping children, and why she's never met her biological father

21 Jun 07:00 PM
US stealth bombers fly over Pacific as tension with Iran grows
World

US stealth bombers fly over Pacific as tension with Iran grows

21 Jun 06:49 PM

Latest from New Zealand

Video shows man being slammed against stall during night market assault, goods flying

Video shows man being slammed against stall during night market assault, goods flying

21 Jun 09:50 PM

Two people were critically injured at the Pakūranga Night Market yesterday.

B2 bombers in Guam, Zelenskyy accuses Putin of being 'uninterested' in peace | NZ Herald News Update

B2 bombers in Guam, Zelenskyy accuses Putin of being 'uninterested' in peace | NZ Herald News Update

'I don't believe it': Sleeping store owner woken by late-night call on $15m Lotto win

'I don't believe it': Sleeping store owner woken by late-night call on $15m Lotto win

21 Jun 08:57 PM
Fight breaks out at Auckland night market

Fight breaks out at Auckland night market

Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search