Plans for a fitting tribute for Sir Edmund Hillary have been put on hold until after the funeral, but already ideas and suggestions are flowing in from all corners of the country.
Sir Ed already stands in stone in Orewa's Hillary Square, and is immortalised in bronze overlooking Aoraki Mount Cook, but how best should we remember him?
Some have touted the idea of "Hillary Day" - a public holiday that perhaps falls on his birthday.
But many have set their sights much higher.
"I think a mountain and the fact it goes up high and we can look at it and say 'wow', so I would suggest a mountain, whether it be in New Zealand or whether it be in the Antarctic," says former Govenor-General Sir Paul Reeves.
Some say it should reflect the life he dedicated many decades to helping others.
"Something for the underprivileged people. A building," one woman suggested.
A humble man by nature, Sir Ed repeatedly said he did not want a monument, instead for Kiwis to continue his work in the Himalayas.
"For me to kick the bucket and then to know that that work is being continued would be a tremendous satisfaction," he had said.
Many say any tribute will need to be handled appropriately and carefully.
"Consultation with the family, consultation with Maori, consultation with mountaineers and all other interested groups," says Reeves.
The government says for now the funeral is the main focus and any discussions of a fitting memorial or tribute will be made with the family in the weeks following.
