Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

A walking track spanning 100km of Auckland's west coast has been named in honour of Sir Edmund Hillary.

The Hillary Trail runs through the Waitakere Ranges, beginning at the Arataki Visitor Centre and finishing at Muriwai in South Kaipara.

It connects up an existing network of tracks, with connections to public transport.

Waitakere City Mayor Bob Harvey says the four-day coastal walk has been 27 years in the making.

Mr Harvey says a track from Huia to Muriwai was first proposed by Sir Edmund's father-in-law in 1982.

In 1953, Sir Edmund together with Sherper Tenzing Norgay became the first to conquer Mt Everest. The adventurer went on to lead several expeditions and in the 1960s set up the Himalayan Trust, helping the people of Nepal.

Sir Edmund died of a heart attack in Auckland on 11 January 2008, aged 88. The track will be officially opened on the second anniversary of his death.