KEY POINTS:
Sir Edmund Hillary's son Peter is honouring his father with a colourful display of prayer flags at his Auckland home, as the last details of the great mountaineer's state funeral are finalised.
The personal tribute comes ahead of a series of public arrangements - one of the first of which is a formal wreath-laying ceremony at Holy Trinity Cathedral just after 10am today.
A neighbour of Peter Hillary said they were touched when they glanced up at the small prayer flags as they fluttered in the wind.
"They looked really beautiful. The family has obviously gone to a lot of trouble to put them up."
The Hillary family have requested privacy to cope with their grief and have not spoken publicly since Sir Edmund died.
The formal arrangements aim to honour him as a much-loved family man as well as a public hero.
Today at 10am, Sir Edmund's casket will arrive at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell and be welcomed by Ngati Whatua.
After the wreath-laying ceremony - at which New Zealand political representatives and members of the Nepalese and Indian communities are expected to leave floral tributes - the casket will be placed in the cathedral.
At 11.30am, the cathedral will open to members of the public to file past and pay their respects to Sir Edmund.
The cathedral will remain open overnight until 8am tomorrow. Defence Force personnel will mount a vigil guard for the duration. During the period of lying in state, a prayer will be offered on the hour, every hour, and those in the cathedral will be asked to pause in silence.
Meanwhile, guests from around the world - including a delegation of Sherpas from Sir Edmund's beloved Nepal - have started arriving in Auckland for tomorrow's elaborate service.
Among those speaking at the funeral will be Norbu Tenzing Norgay - the son of Tenzing Norgay who reached the summit with Sir Edmund - close family friend Jim Wilson, and members of the Hillary family.
The United States will be represented by Jim Whittaker, who scaled Everest in May 1963, 10 years after Sir Edmund became the first man to stand on its peak, and diplomat William McCormick. A complete list of international guests was expected to be finalised by today.
Police urged people to watch the state funeral on Tuesday on giant public screens at the Auckland Domain and Viaduct Basin rather than congregate at St Mary's church in Parnell where the service will be held.
Operations manager Inspector Derek Davison said thousands were expected to line the roads in the Domain when the motorcade passed through after the service.
He advised people to plan their journey in advance, be considerate of the needs of others and be patient.
- NZPA
