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Hero image for From the Ocean to the Sky

From the Ocean to the Sky

Film (Excerpts) – 1979

This Feltex Award-winning documentary follows a 1977 expedition where Sir Edmund Hillary and crew (including son Peter) attempted to jet boat upriver from the mouth of the Ganges to its Himalayan heart, before making the first ascent of Akash Parbat. The adventure pilgrimage was a proof of concept for the Kiwi-invented boat, and a return to action for Ed after the death of his wife and daughter in a 1975 plane crash. The mission faces epic white water, altitude sickness and tigers. Director Michael Dillon revisited the trip for his 2019 big screen documentary Hillary: Ocean to Sky.

It was a sort of dream that Ed had had for a long time: the idea of going all the way up a river from the ocean and finishing up on the top of a mountain. It was quite an appealing sort of idea, and I think when he suddenly realised that he could do it in an indigenous New Zealand machine — the jet boat — that it really struck on.
– Graeme Dingle, in 1989 documentary Magic Kiwis - Sir Edmund Hillary

Key Cast & Crew

Profile image for Mike Gill

Mike Gill

Producer, Camera

Profile image for Waka Attewell

Waka Attewell

Camera, Sound Recordist

Generic Profile image for Michael Dillon

Michael Dillon

Director, Camera

Profile image for David Calder

David Calder

Composer

Generic Profile image for BG Dewari

BG Dewari

Camera

Generic Profile image for Prem Vaidya

Prem Vaidya

Camera

See all 13 credits

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Collection
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A Kiwi river journey

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Edmund Hillary discusses this expedition in a 1979 interview

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Series

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Sir Ed and an A-Team of mates tackle Kiwi white water

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Craig Potton goes against the flow of the Rangitata

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A documentary on the Hamilton jet

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More 70s jet-boating action

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A mid 190s Hillary interview

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Photographic exploration of the Ganges

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The Great Achievement

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Bill Hamilton tests his jet boat

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Beyond the Edge

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Kiwis Hillary & George Lowe return triumphant from Everest

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A 1977 climbing mission off Great Barrier Island

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White Water Ride

Rafting trip down the Rangitikei River

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Landmarks - A Land Apart

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Sir Edmund Hillary discusses his aid mission in Nepal

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An earlier visit to India

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Chris Knox visits Southern India

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More Himalayan adventures