Waihi Beach. It's a lovely beach, and we're right on the shore and I get a lot of pleasure out of waking up in the morning and hearing the waves roll in. Edmund Hillary More Quotes by Edmund Hillary More Quotes From Edmund Hillary I always, I would say, make sure that in my presentation I'll have what I want to do. I try and make it so interesting to my companions that they want to go, too. I don't have to twist any arms or make - you know - any great challenges available. Edmund Hillary challenges trying interesting June [Hillary] had been doing all these things - the Himalayas and all the rest of it - so we had done things together for a long time, and, particularly as far as our Sherpas were concerned, we had a very sound, I think, philosophy. So that made it very easy for us to agree on what should be done. Edmund Hillary june philosophy thinking I was not a beater of children and as a consequence I've always been, I think, very agreeable and co-operative. Edmund Hillary consequence children thinking June [Hillary] is a very strong influence in my life and particularly now in my ancient years there is no doubt at all: if there's a decision to be made, quite often June is the one who makes it. Edmund Hillary june strong years In those days we were punished very frequently and I felt that it was often unjust, and so I would resist the desire to agree with many, many things. So I used to get beaten quite frequently and I more or less accepted it as part of life. Edmund Hillary accepted unjust desire I started to become more active and when I was at Auckland Grammar I went for the first time to the mountains. I went to Ruapehu and for the first time I saw snow. I had never seen snow before and for 10 days the group of us had a marvellous time. Edmund Hillary mountain groups snow I have to admit I do get a bit depressed at times and you know I think about the good old days when I was charging ahead. Edmund Hillary charging old-days thinking I was incredibly stubborn. I mean, I believe that my father was frequently in the right, but I would never admit it, and so we did have a few set-tos on various topics; but on the whole as I got older and my father got more mature we got along reasonably well. Edmund Hillary stubborn I still think have this deep desire for our Himalayan Trust - that we raise the necessary funds, that we do all the things that the Sherpas want us to do, and I would like to see us working together with them on these projects. Even though I'm old and decrepit I still have this strong feeling that I would like to carry these things out if it were still possible. Edmund Hillary strong feelings thinking I would have said that during the early days of my life there was never a moment when I wasn't fit. We worked extremely hard on the beekeeping line, and both my brother and I used to compete, particularly when we were collecting honey. We would each have an 80-pound box of honey and we would race up the hill on the Tuakau track and race back down. We just raced all the time, and we used to keep very fit indeed. Edmund Hillary track brother race I get older I get more cantankerous, but June [Hillary] gets a bit more cantankerous, too. Edmund Hillary bits june I've often thought about that and the only suitable member to join me on that climb [to Everest] was George Lowe: he was strong, a good man on a mountain, with a great sense of humour, and I liked that. I think George and I could've done that together ... I've probably never told George that. Edmund Hillary strong men thinking I would like to be remembered for the schools and hospitals and bridges and all the other activities that we did with the Sherpas. Unquestionably, they are the things I feel that were the most worthwhile of everything I was involved in. Edmund Hillary sherpas bridges school I think the whole attitude towards climbing Mount Everest has become rather horrifying. The people just want to get to the top. They don't give a damn for anybody else who may be in distress and it doesn't impress me at all that they leave someone lying under a rock to die. Edmund Hillary attitude lying thinking I hate being called an 'icon.' I just don't like it. That's all there is to it. Edmund Hillary i-hate icons hate I think that a good mountaineer is usually a sensible mountaineer. Edmund Hillary sensible thinking I don't know if I particularly want to be remembered for anything. I personally do not think I'm a great gift to the world. I've been very fortunate. Edmund Hillary want world thinking Ever since the morning of May 29, 1953, when Tenzing Norgay and I became the first climbers to step onto the summit of Mount Everest, I've been called a great adventurer. Edmund Hillary may morning firsts The Sherpas play a very important role in most mountaineering expeditions, and in fact many of them lead along the ridges and up to the summit. Edmund Hillary roles important play I have enjoyed great satisfaction from my climb of Everest and my trips to the poles. But there's no doubt that my most worthwhile things have been the building of schools and medical clinics. Edmund Hillary climb great medical building