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As crowds gather for Sir Edmund Hillary's state funeral, the air will be filled by the music the great mountaineer chose for the occasion - the hymn Where'er He Walks - sung by one of his favourite opera singers.
Details of an elaborate farewell emerged yesterday.
Prime Minister Helen Clark announced rising opera star Ben Makisi, a favourite of Sir Ed, and Dame Malvina Major will perform a medley of favourite music before the service.
"What will go through people's minds is this is what Sir Ed would have really wanted to hear.
"There is a particular, beautiful hymn that he wanted to be played, Where'er He Walks," she said.
"It's going to be a special occasion."
Miss Clark said American folk singer Joan Baez was also one of his favourites.
Norbu Tenzing Norgay - the son of Tenzing Norgay who reached the summit with Sir Edmund - will give a eulogy during the 90-minute service at St Mary's Church in Parnell along with Helen Clark, close family friend Jim Wilson, and members of the Hillary family. Following the funeral, the casket will be carried to the Holy Trinity forecourt where a piper will be playing Abide with Me.
Forty members of the New Zealand Alpine Club will form an honour guard while holding ice axes. Children from Otara's Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate will do a haka as he leaves.
Funeral organisers are urging people to watch on the large screens at either the Viaduct Basin or the Domain rather than heading to the chapel itself. Family and close friends would be in St Mary's Church and other invited guests would be seated in the adjacent cathedral.
BROADCAST
* TVNZ's live coverage will begin at 10am on Tuesday. Close Up presenter Mark Sainsbury, who is also a personal friend of the Hillary family, and One News presenter Simon Dallow will introduce it and provide commentary afterward.
* TV3 will also use the TVNZ feed to screen the funeral live with Mike McRoberts as its presenter. Radio NZ and Newztalk ZB will also broadcast the funeral live.
* It will be streamed live on TVNZ and TV3 websites.
* A satellite link will enable it to be shown live in Nepal and it will be shown at Scott Base in the Antarctic via the broadcaster's Pacific feed.
* TVNZ said several major organisations worldwide had asked for the feed, including all major Australian networks, Al Jazeera, BBC, CNN, Sky News, and the European Broadcasting Union.
* TVNZ's Rick Ellis said the decision to offer it for free was in recognition of the international regard for Sir Edmund.
