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Hero image for The Adventure World of Sir Edmund Hillary - The Kaipo Wall

Part One of The Adventure World of Sir Edmund Hillary - The Kaipo Wall

Part Two of The Adventure World of Sir Edmund Hillary - The Kaipo Wall

Part One of The Adventure World of Sir Edmund Hillary - The Kaipo Wall

Part Two of The Adventure World of Sir Edmund Hillary - The Kaipo Wall

The Adventure World of Sir Edmund Hillary - The Kaipo Wall

Television (Full Length Episodes) – 1974

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Aotearoa New Zealand's place as an adventure sport mecca is vividly captured in this 70s documentary, directed by Roger Donaldson (Smash Palace). Sir Edmund Hillary leads a team to tackle Fiordland's unclimbed Kaipo Wall. In part one, they kayak and raft down the Hollyford River's testing rapids. At Lake McKerrow they build a DIY sailboat with a tent fly and branches, then tramp through windswept sands and thick bush. In part two the team splits up to conquer the imposing wall, meeting friendly kea and unfriendly weather. They reunite for a celebratory beer, before a blizzard traps them in a snow cave and tents.

Mike Gill told me about a sheer 4000-foot rock wall he discovered in the Darran Ranges. He called it the Kaipo Wall. Now that was quite a long time ago, but it still hasn’t been climbed. We thought it'd be a good idea to go down and climb it.
– Edmund Hillary introduces the mission, in part one