It is the second time outdoor clothing manufacturer and retailer Earth Sea Sky, located on Bernard St in Addington, has been broken into in the last three weeks.
As well as the anorak, which was worn on the expedition by Earth Sea Sky founder David Ellis’ father Murray Ellis, $50,000 of clothing was stolen in the burglary about 5am on Wednesday.
“We are devastated,” said business co-owner Jane Ellis.
She said the family is trying to “manage our way through”.
An automatic alarm alerted the business’s security contractor and police arrived quickly.
The offender had pried open the front door, which was already boarded up from the last break-in.
Ellis believes the business was deliberately targeted, and may have been committed by the same offender who broke in last month and took $18,000 in goods from the shop.
“They knew what they were doing. They targeted it clearly,” she said.
“That (anorak) in particular is the thing we don’t want to lose. Its value to us is deeply personal.”
She described it as “irreplaceable”.
“It’s actually got his name handwritten on the little tag on the front.
“There’s a great heritage that goes back to the 1900s."
Murray Ellis was a member of Hillary’s New Zealand team during the Commonwealth Trans Antarctic Expedition in 1956.
Murray, an avid tramper, mountaineer and engineer, played a pivotal role in establishing the original Scott Base in Antarctica. He maintained tractors during the South Pole expedition.
Murray’s interest in the icy continent stemmed from his father Roland Ellis who created the Southern Hemisphere’s first down-filled sleeping bags in the 1920s.
Roland’s sleeping bags were an integral item used during Hillary and Tenzing Norgay during their ascent of Mount Everest in 1953.
Murray died in 2005.
The Ellis family’s garments achieved more prominence after the February 22, 2011, earthquake in Christchurch when then-mayor Bob Parker wore his distinctive Earth Sea Sky-made orange parka.
Other historical garments stolen on Wednesday morning included a NZ-made cotton string singlet and an ultra-light ‘helium’ jacket. An entire rack of waterproof jackets, two extreme cold-weather jackets, and three windproof pullover anoraks were also taken.
Earth Sea Sky manufactures many of its garments at the site.
She said one police officer who responded to the incident told her his brother in Scott Base wore her garments. She said police had speculated the offender was a youth.
“They were going to follow any leads, which is really cool,” Ellis said.
“But at the moment, no leads, and they’ve got everything out there alerting.
“It’s quite a lot of stuff (stolen), and our stuff is unique; you don’t see it come up out there for sale. It’s going to stand out really clearly,” she said.
Given how distinctive the clothing is, especially Murray Ellis’ anorak, Ellis hopes someone will recognise and return them.
A police spokesperson said anyone with information on the incident should call the police on 105 or go to www.police.govt.nz/use-105 and reference file 260715/0392. Anonymous tips can be made via Crime Stoppers - 0800 555 111.
