The daughter of Sir Edmund Hillary says she's delighted that her father's remaining ashes will be scattered at the summit of Mt Everest.
A Nepalese mountaineer, Apa Sherpa, says he wants to honour Sir Edmund by taking his ashes with him when he attempts his 20th ascent of the mountain next week.
Sarah Hillary says most of her father's ashes were scattered in Auckland Harbour, looking up to the family house, following his death in 2008. The rest of the ashes have been kept in a Buddhist monastery in eastern Nepal until now, but Sir Edmund, she says, would rather have been in the mountains.
Ms Hillary says her brother, Peter Hillary, also supports the idea.
On Friday, mountaineer Graeme Dingle also welcomed Apa Sherpa's plan, saying it's more appropriate the remaining ashes are scattered on Mt Everest than kept in the monastery.
'Without him' - no clinics, no schools
Sir Edmund conquered Mt Everest in 1953 with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, and retained strong ties with the Sherpa community, later setting up a charitable foundation.
Apa Sherpa, 50, says he met Sir Edmund many times and would pray for him at the summit.
"Without him we would have no clinics, and we would have no schools," he is quoted by the BBC as saying. "So I am very happy to take his ashes with me to the summit."
