KEY POINTS:
For just a moment there was only Sir Ed.
The cathedral was empty but for the portrait of a young man, resting on an ice axe with the jagged peak of Everest behind him.
The man, the mountain - the achievement.
Then the coffin carrying Sir Ed's body entered, opening the doors to all to follow.
As the sound of a slow beat of a Navy drummer and a Ka Mate haka dropped away, the coffin, draped in a New Zealand flag, was marched straight down the centre-line of Holy Trinity Cathedral.
The precise footsteps of its military pallbearers were in obvious contrast to those Sir Ed took to the top of Mt Everest, just as the pomp and ceremony was with the outlook of the laid back, one-time beekeeper.
But when the pallbearers suddenly arced to the right to face the portrait, the honour met with the achievement.
The long goodbye of Sir Ed's state funeral had begun.
The coffin was laid down in the centre of the cathedral, followed by three cushions carrying his medals.
On them were the highest honours Queen and country can bestow - the Order of the Garter, the Order of New Zealand, and the medal for a Knight Commander of the British Empire.
There were the Order of the Gurkha from the Kingdom of Nepal and an Everest Medal from India, a heavy piece of pure gold given to him by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
His 1953 ascent of Everest, marked as an early Coronation present for the Queen, resulted in a Coronation Medal with an engraving on the rim unique to the Everest expedition team.
A Polar Medal marked his other great achievement with the Antarctic expedition in 1957-58, while medals from Poland, the Netherlands, France and Spain showed his worldwide recognition.
The wreath, made up of flowers from his family, was then laid atop the coffin.
And, again as some kind of reminder of the achievement before the honour, the ice axe that Sir Ed used to give "a few more whacks" on the way to the Everest summit was placed on top.
Lady June Hillary led a group of 40 family and friends into the cathedral.
Sir Ed's son, Peter Hillary, sat in the second row, his young daughter on his lap. Behind them came representatives of Ngati Whatua, India and Nepal.
There were Maori women dressed in black, Indian women in turquoise saris and Nepalese men wearing topi hats.
The Nepalese laid karta scarves over the coffin. The Indians draped a garland of flowers around the portrait that fell in the shape of a shield and lit candles to glow beneath.
Navy officers carrying Steyr rifles then formed a square around the coffin.
The symmetry continued as different wreaths were marched in to be placed by Governor-General Anand Satyanand, Prime Minister Helen Clark and the leaders of other political parties.
The ceremony was ended with a karakia, and Sir Ed's family and friends were given some time alone with him.
With the public queuing outside, the honour to be bestowed on Sir Ed was just beginning.
