Summits for Ed a tribute 

A nationwide tribute tour to Sir Edmund Hilary has begun in Southland. 

Summits for Ed will get people out climbing in towns and cities around the country.

Bluff Hill is the first of 40 summits to be conquered to pay homage to a legend.

"What better way than to actually climb a bunch of summits and to remember him that way," says Grant Davidson from Sir Edmound's Outdoor Pursuit Centre. 

"To get people to climb the peak is quite symbolic also of what he did throughtout his life," says Darren Ashmore from the Outdoor Pursuits Centre.

The hike attracted kiwis from all walks of life, including mayor Tim Shadbolt.

"Sir Ed's touched everybody's lives in one way or another," he says.

Walkers were asked to bring along a stone to put on a memorial cairn, which will be in Tongariro at Sir Edmund's Outdoor Pursuits Centre.  It could be anything from a good size rock down to a small pebble.

"That will be built in a location that has a view over Mount Ruapehu which is the first mountain that Sir Ed had an experience with when he went on a ski trip there as a young boy," says Ashmore.

A lasting tribute to a man with a lasting legacy.