Many well-known Kiwis earned their fame through heroic and bold adventures. From climbing the tallest mountain in the world, navigating through the Antarctic Ocean, or sailing to victory, several Kiwi adventurers not only tested their limits but also were the first ones to accomplish the challenges they set forth to overcome.
FROM BEEKEEPER TO WORLD EXPLORER
"We didn't know if it was humanly possible to reach the top of Mt. Everest . And even using oxygen as we were, if we did get to the top, we weren't at all sure whether we wouldn't drop dead or something of that nature."
Edmund Hillary did not drop dead at the tops of Everest. On May 29, 1953, he and the Nepalese Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay, set foot on the summit of Everest, the highest point on earth. They had succeeded where others had failed, and had survived a journey that had taken the lives of great explorers before them.
Until that year, Edmund Hillary had lived in relative obscurity as a beekeeper in Auckland , New Zealand , but the unprecedented feat of scaling the world's highest mountain brought him a fame he could hardly have imagined. In the years that followed, he led expeditions to the South Pole and other remote corners of the earth, but he returned often to the mountains of Nepal , the scene of his greatest triumph. Now that his mountain climbing days are behind him, Sir Edmund Hillary devotes his energies to environmental causes and to humanitarian efforts on behalf of the Nepalese people.
Source: www.achievement.org, Photo source: www.time.com
Sir Peter James Blake, KBE (October 1, 1948–December 6, 2001) was a New Zealand yachtsman who led his country to two successive America’s Cup victories. He previously won the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989, and the Jules Verne Trophy in 1994 by setting the fastest time around the world of 74 days 22 hours 17 minutes 22 seconds on catamaran Enza. Blake was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1995 for services to yachting, and received a honorary doctorate in 2000 from AUT University. He was murdered by pirates on 5 December 2001 during an environmental exploration trip in South America.
Source: www.wikipedia.org, Photo source: www.amazon.com
Photo source: www.wikipedia.org
Frank Worsley (1872, (Akaroa) - 1943) was a New Zealand sailor and explore. After serving in the Pacific he joined Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1916, as captain of the Endurance. The aim was to cross the Antarctic continent, but the ship became frozen in ice, and was eventually crushed. All 28 men from the expedition floated on the ice until, thanks to Worsley's navigational skills, they could land with three lifeboats at Elephant Island on the Antarctic Peninsula.
Source: www.wikipedia.org
GRAEME DINGLE
Photo source: www.bookcouncil.org.nz
Proud to have been called the ‘father of outdoor pursuits in New Zealand'
DINGLE, Graeme (1945) is a writer, adventurer, mountaineer, artist and humanitarian.
Graeme Dingle was born in Gisborne. He is well known as an adventurer and humanitarian. Dingle has completed daring mountaineering, rock climbing and adventuring firsts throughout the world. He has chronicled his fascination with the wild; his adventures and those of his adventuring companions in articles, essays, and some two dozen adventure films.
To date Dingle has published ten books including: Two Against the Alps (1972), Wall of Shadows (1976), The Seven Year Adventure (1981), The Outdoor World of Graeme Dingle (1983), First Across The Roof of The World (1982), New Zealand Adventures (1985) Chomolungma (1985), Outdoor Pursuits in New Zealand (1990), Dangerous Journeys (1995), and Arktikos (1996).
Professionally, Dingle has worked as both a company and a marketing director. He has founded and served as chief executive of four successful charities including the Sir Edmond Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre and The Project K Trust. He is also the founding chairman of the New Zealand Outdoor Assembly.
Dingle has received numerous awards including: the Governor Generals Award for mountain rescue, the MBE for service to outdoor pursuits, the Award of New Zealand for services to recreation and sport, the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Service Award, as well as being an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Source: www.bookcouncil.org.nz
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