Sir Edmund Hillary, who became the first climber to conquer Mount Everest with Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay , died of a heart attack on 11 January, 2008, at the age of 88.

The pair reached the summit of the world’s highest mountain in 1953, just days before the coronation of Elizabeth II.

They spent only 15 minutes at the top, with Hillary taking Tenzing’s photograph. But there are no pictures of Hillary there because Tenzing did not know how to use a camera.

On the way down, the famously matter-of-fact New Zealander greeted a fellow expedition member with the words: "Well, George, we finally knocked the b****** off."

Sir Edmund was born on 20 July, 1919, in Tuakau, south of Auckland. His grandparents were early settlers in the country after emigrating from Yorkshire in the mid-19th century.

His interest in climbing was sparked during a school trip to a mountain. He discovered that, although he was gangly and uncoordinated, he was physically strong and had greater endurance than many of his trekking companions.

In 1939, he completed his first major climb, reaching the summit of Mount Oliver in the Southern Alps.

He became a beekeeper with his brother Rex, which occupied his time in the summer only, freeing him to pursue his climbing in the winter.

During the Second World War he served as a navigator of flying boats but was repatriated to New Zealand in 1945 after being badly burned in a boating accident.

Sir Edmund was part of a British reconnaissance expedition to Everest in 1951 before joining the successful British attempt of 1953.

The leader of this challenge teamed him up with Tenzing and together they set out on 28 May to scale the mountain. They set up camp at 8,500 metres (27,900 ft). The next day Sir Edmund discovered his boots had frozen solid outside his tent. Undeterred, he spent two hours warming them up before he and Tenzing attempted the final ascent, wearing 30 pound (10kg) packs.

They reached the 8,850m summit at 11.30am. Tenzing left chocolates in the snow as an offering, and Sir Edmund left a cross he had been given.

News of the successful expedition reached Britain on the day of the coronation of the Queen.

Not only was he the first man to reach the highest place on earth, he also gained the distinction in 1985 of being the only person ever to stand at both poles.

His private life was marred by tragedy. His first wife Louise and daughter Belinda were killed in a plane crash in Nepal. He married June Mulgrew, the widow of his close friend, Peter Mulgrew, who also died in an air crash, in 1989.

Alongside his climbing career, he was dedicated to helping the Sherpa people of Nepal, through the Himalayan Trust which succeeded in building many schools and hospitals in the region.

His death at Auckland City Hospital was announced by the New Zealand government.

Helen Clark, New Zealand’s prime minister, said Sir Edmund, who preferred to be called Ed, was "an heroic figure who not only ‘knocked off’ Everest but lived a life full of determination, humility, and generosity."

Actor and adventurer Brian Blessed, who attempted to climb Everest three times, described Sir Edmund as a "kind of titan."

Sir Edmund was survived by his wife, his son Peter, who also conquered Everest in 1990, and a daughter Sarah, both from his first marriage.