Plan to Rename New Zealand’s Highest Ridge After Sir Edmund

The South Ridge of Aoraki-Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain, could be renamed after Sir Edmund Hillary.
Plan to Rename New Zealand’s Highest Ridge After Sir Edmund
Picture dated 03 July 1953 of Mount Everest conquerors Edmund Hillary (R) and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay (L) at London's Heathrow airport on their return from the successful expedition. (AFP/Getty Images)
8/6/2010
Updated:
10/1/2015

<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/SirEd_1989338.jpg" alt="Picture dated 03 July 1953 of Mount Everest conquerors Edmund Hillary (R) and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay (L) at London's Heathrow airport on their return from the successful expedition. (AFP/Getty Images)" title="Picture dated 03 July 1953 of Mount Everest conquerors Edmund Hillary (R) and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay (L) at London's Heathrow airport on their return from the successful expedition. (AFP/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1816510"/></a>
Picture dated 03 July 1953 of Mount Everest conquerors Edmund Hillary (R) and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay (L) at London's Heathrow airport on their return from the successful expedition. (AFP/Getty Images)
The South Ridge of Aoraki-Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain, could be renamed after world famous mountaineer, Sir Edmund Hillary. Sir Edmund climbed South Ridge in the majestic Southern Alps on Feb. 5, 1948.

Sir Edmund’s family has warmly welcomed the proposed name changed to “Hillary Ridge.” Daughter, Sarah Hillary, told the New Zealand Herald that it is a very good choice of location “as the climb meant a lot to my father and he would have considered it a great honour to be associated with it by name.”

Five years after climbing Mount Cook on May 29, 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay climbed Mount Everest, becoming the first ever to conquer the highest mountain in the world.

The New Zealand Geographic Board considered several landmarks that might be named after Mr. Hillary, narrowing it down to one.

The proposed renaming would make it the first alpine landmark in New Zealand named after the great Sir Edmund Hillary.

A 70km route through the Waitakere ranges in Auckland was named Hillary Trail. A $40 million ward at Middlemore Hospital was recently named Sir Edmund Hillary Block.

Sir Edmund Hillary died in Jan. 2008, at the age of 88.

There will be a three-month public consultation procedure before the name change can take place, beginning soon.