Edward Sealy explored in the Southern Alps, sometimes working alongside Julius von Haast. He took his camera into the mountains and was the first to take photos in those areas. When the New Zealand Alpine Club was founded in 1891, Sealy became one of the inaugural vice-presidents. Sealy was a collector of butterflies, moths and birds' eggs and his entomology collection was considered one of the most notable private collections in the world. The South Canterbury Museum in Timaru holds his entomology collection, and his photographs are held by the South Canterbury Museum and Canterbury Museum in Christchurch. Some geographic features in the Southern Alps and elsewhere are named for Sealy.