We use cookies to help us understand how you use our site, and make your experience better. To find out more read our privacy policy.
Play

00:00

/

00:00

Full screen
Video quality

Low 0 MB

High 0 MB

HD 0 MB

Captions
Volume
Volume
Hero image for Hillary - First Episode

Hillary - First Episode

Television (Full Length Episode) – 2016

Acclaimed miniseries Hillary chronicles the fascinating life of Kiwi mountaineer and philanthropist Sir Edmund Hillary. The first episode explores his 1930s childhood in sleepy Tuakau, and trying times in the 1940s, when his desire to join the war effort clashes with the beliefs of his pacifist father. Ed's young life is sketched in three chapters: a stolen library book ignites a passion for the mountains, teenage Ed experiences the grandeur of Mt Ruapehu, and adult Ed (played for the remainder of the series by Andrew Munro) grows restless with life as a beekeeper, while being labelled a coward for his family's war stance. 

It's an amazing sight, isn't it sir.
– Sixteen-year-old Edmund Hillary (Simon Mead) takes in the beauty of Mt Ruapehu

Acknowledgements

Made in association with NZ On Air's Platinum Fund and Television New Zealand


Developed with the assistance of the NZ Film Commission, and produced with the assistance of the Department of Conservation

Categories

More from The Sir Edmund Hillary Collection...

Thumbnail image for Magic Kiwis - Sir Edmund Hillary

Magic Kiwis - Sir Edmund Hillary

This episode from the first season of the...

Thumbnail image for Hillary Returns

Hillary Returns

Following the 1953 conquest of Mount Everest, Sir...

Thumbnail image for Hillary - First Episode

Hillary - First Episode

Acclaimed miniseries Hillary chronicles the...

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

The Adventure World of Sir Edmund Hillary - The Kaipo Wall

Aotearoa New Zealand's place as an adventure sport...

Thumbnail image for From the Ocean to the Sky

From the Ocean to the Sky

This Feltex Award-winning documentary follows a 1977...

Thumbnail image for Hillary: A View from the Top - The Early Years

Hillary: A View from the Top - The Early Years

These excerpts from part one of Tom Scott’s...

Thumbnail image for Beyond the Edge

Beyond the Edge

Beyond the Edge tells the story of Sir...

Thumbnail image for The Great Achievement

The Great Achievement

This half-hour film from 1958 documents New Zealanders...

Thumbnail image for Off the Beaten Track

Off the Beaten Track

Sir Ed Hillary, then in his early 50s, acts as tour...

Thumbnail image for Antarctic Crossing

Antarctic Crossing

Kiwi George Lowe directed this Oscar-nominated film of...

Thumbnail image for Holmes - Hillary's Trek: Everest

Holmes - Hillary's Trek: Everest

Journalist Mark Sainsbury accompanies Sir Edmund...

Thumbnail image for Holmes - Hillary's Trek: His Legacy

Holmes - Hillary's Trek: His Legacy

One of three special Edmund Hillary in Nepal segments...

Thumbnail image for Holmes - Hillary's Trek: The Sherpas

Holmes - Hillary's Trek: The Sherpas

In the last of three Holmes pieces made on a...

Thumbnail image for The Adventure World of Sir Edmund Hillary - The Sea Pillars of Great Barrier

The Adventure World of Sir Edmund Hillary - The Sea Pillars of Great Barrier

The Adventure World TV series saw Sir...

Thumbnail image for Tasman Glacier - Polar Exercise

Tasman Glacier - Polar Exercise

This National Film Unit documentary shows the NZ...

Thumbnail image for The Glacier Climbers

The Glacier Climbers

"The story of a four-day journey from Westland to...

Thumbnail image for Holmes - Sir Edmund Hillary

Holmes - Sir Edmund Hillary

In this clip Holmes interviews Sir Edmund...

Thumbnail image for Good Day - Sir Edmund Hillary

Good Day - Sir Edmund Hillary

In this Good Day interview, Alison Parr talks...

Thumbnail image for Encounter - Sir Edmund Hillary

Encounter - Sir Edmund Hillary

In this Nepal-filmed interview for the 70s current...

Thumbnail image for Antarctic Adventure

Antarctic Adventure

This NFU documentary chronicles a major milestone in...

Thumbnail image for Antarctic Prelude

Antarctic Prelude

In this 1956 reel, Sir Edmund Hillary and...

Thumbnail image for The Years Back - 12, The Big Ice (Episode 12)

The Years Back - 12, The Big Ice (Episode 12)

New Zealand's relationship with Antarctica and the...

Thumbnail image for Ross Sea Appeal - Children Meet Hillary

Ross Sea Appeal - Children Meet Hillary

In this November 1955 newsreel, Sir Edmund Hillary...

Thumbnail image for Fair Go - Episode 30 (2007)

Fair Go - Episode 30 (2007)

Popular consumer affairs show Fair...