Royal New Zealand tour for Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla begins
Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla have been warmly welcomed to New Zealand for the first day of their official Royal tour with a traditional Māori greeting known as a “hongi”.
The couple touched down in Auckland on Sunday before throwing themselves into a full day of engagements on Monday morning.
They both attended the Queen’s Colour Ceremony at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Whenuapai Airbase, where they learnt about the traditional Māori welcome, which is known as Pōwhiri.
It is a ritual that was experienced by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, not too long ago, when they arrived in Wellington, New Zealand for their tour in October.
Following the ceremony, the Duke of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall did not let bad weather stop them from attending The Queen’s Colour, the highest honour a sovereign can bestow.
During the 1953-54 royal tour of New Zealand, Queen Elizabeth II presented her Colour to the RNZAF.
The presentation was made at the same air base on December 28, 1953.
As the Colour is now worn, a replacement has been received and was formally presented to the Duke and Duchess.
Earlier in the day, the royal couple had the opportunity to sample some of the area’s finest wine while visiting the Hunting Lodge - a site where the first Sauvignon Blanc grapes were grown in New Zealand.
While doing this, they also learnt of the lodge’s “Paddock to Table” approach, which aims to produce as much food onsite as possible.
The lodge also strives to source additional products purely from local businesses and resources.
Farmer Richard Kidd, who provides lamb grown at Kaipara Farms, spoke to the Prince of Wales.
"We spoke about the lamb and I thanked him for being an advocate of wool, which is down on price at the moment," Kidd said.
"However, the price of lamb is doing very well."
Prince Charles has spoken up about the importance of sustainability and waste reduction in the last decade, and on Monday got to visit Critical Design, a company using innovative technology to turn plastic waste into reusable materials that will manufacture other products.
Tuesday is just as busy for the Prince and Duchess, who will be meeting Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her partner, Clark Gayford.
The royal couple is in New Zealand for an eight-day tour, their first to the country since 2015.