Sir Edmund Hillary's son Peter Hillary was at Mt Everest with some old Auckland school friends when the 7.8-magnidue quake struck Nepal just over a week ago.
They all survived, but then had to cope with the sudden death of one of the team.
Kathmandu is a city close to Mr Hillary's heart. It's like a second home for Sir Ed's son. He's been coming to the city since he was seven years old.
It was far from the trip Mr Hillary had planned. He was just south of Everest Base Camp with 11 of his King's College schoolmates as part of a reunion and about to have lunch when the earthquake struck.
"As we were about to sit down the quake struck and the whole place just broke loose," says Mr Hillary.
Avalanches roared towards them off the Himalayan mountains, jet blasts of frozen air scaring them the most.
"It just swooped over us, covering everything with snow and ice particles. It was terrifying."
The group was unscathed, but with Base Camp decimated, they trekked down to Tengboche Monastery where they stayed the night at a lodge.
It was the next morning when the group realised their friend, Auckland businessman Greg Kay, had died from a suspected heart attack.
"I looked over at Greg and he was just lying there very still and we couldn't wake him," says Mr Hillary. "Members of the team attempted CPR for about 45 minutes, but sadly it was too late."
Devastated, they carried his body with them and organised a traditional Sherpa cremation ceremony. "We've been trekking down the valley to Lukla, the little airfield that my father helped build in 1964, which is where we cremated Greg."
After spending an emotional few days in Kathmandu, Mr Hillary arrived back in New Zealand this morning. He is happy to be home, but sad to not only lose a close friend but leave behind a devastated country.
3 News
source: newshub archive
