The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall made their way down to New Zealand last week as part of their Autumn Tour, their third joint trip to our shores and the second time members of the royal family have visited this year, after the Duke of Cambridge paid a visit following the Christchurch terror attacks in March.
Touching down on November 17th at the Whenuapai Royal New Zealand Air Force base in Auckland, the couple were greeted by sunny weather and a quiet night in before they officially kicked off their royal engagements the following day.
Here’s everything you need to know from Charles and Camilla’s royal tour of New Zealand 2019.
Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla land at the RNZAF base at Whenuapai, Auckland on Sunday, 17th November. (Image: Getty)
Day Two: Monday, November 18
Wreath-laying and a visit to the Wesley Community Centre
After flying in the previous day, Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla’s first engagement was at the Mount Roskill War Memorial in Auckland, where they attended a wreath-laying to pay their respects to the New Zealand military as well as the Niuean forces who fought alongside New Zealand in World War I.
Despite the wet weather, there were smiles all around as the royals met and chatted with local community members and servicemen and women.
Prince Charles meets some of the local Niuean community at Mt Roskill War Memorial. (Image: Getty)
The royal couple also visited the Wesley Community Centre where they met with local organisations, witnessed a cultural performance and got stuck in with some arts and crafts.
For the full story on the colourful visit to Mt Roskill, click here.
WATCH: Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla kick-off day one of their New Zealand royal tour. Story continues below…
Prince Charles follows in the footsteps of his mother and attends a wine tasting
Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla spent the beginning of their afternoon visiting The Hunting Lodge Vineyard in Waimauku, where they learned about the estate’s ‘paddock to plate’ ethos and sampled wines to create their own blend.
After talking to local food producers the couple travelled to the Royal NZ Air Force Whenuapai base where Prince Charles presented a replacement Colour (the highest honour that be bestowed by a royal), in place of the original which was personally presented by his mother 66 years ago at the same spot.
For the full story on how Prince Charles followed in his mother’s footsteps, click here.
Day Three: Tuesday, November 19
The official welcoming ceremony
Day two of Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla’s royal tour began with an official welcoming at Government House in Auckland where the royal couple were greeted with a pōwhiri by the NZ Defence Force before Prince Charles met with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Opposition Party leader Simon Bridges.
Read the full story on what the politicians gifted him here.
Walkabouts at the Waterfront and solo engagements for important causes
Tuesday afternoon consisted of a visit to the Emirates Team New Zealand base, where the royal couple snapped a picture with the America’s Cup and the team ready to defend New Zealand’s title next year. They also met with well-wishers gathered to greet and shake hands with royalty at Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter.
Prince Charles also met with a group of volunteers called the Sea Cleaners who have teamed up with the Royal NZ Navy to clear plastic from coastal waters around the country, while Duchess Camilla attended a roundtable discussion organised by Shine, an organisation which supports victims of domestic abuse.
They wrapped up their second day of engagements with a reception back at Government House hosted by the Governor-General of New Zealand.
Day Three: Wednesday, November 20
Charles and Camilla are the first royals to visit Waitangi in 25 years
Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla were welcomed onto the historic grounds where the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed on February 6, 1840, with a pōwhiri, marking 25 years since a member of the royal family has visited, with Prince Charles visiting in 1994.
Wearing a korowai, Prince Charles addressed the crowd and all New Zealanders speaking of how he believes the country “offers an example to the world”.
WATCH: Prince Charles says New Zealand sets an example for the world. Story continues below…
Later in the afternoon, Prince Charles visited the local Paihia fire station and a Prince’s Trust event at Queenstown Resort College’s Tai Tokerau campus, while Duchess Camilla visited Kerikeri Primary School and even snapped an adorable pic with the school’s therapy dog, Meg.
Read about the adorable encounter, here.
Day Five: Friday, November 22
Witnessing the resilience of Christchurch
After a day free from engagements, Prince Charles and Camilla travelled to the South Island of New Zealand to Christchurch.
Welcomed to the Tuahiwi Marae in north Christchurch the royal couple attended a reception and also met one of the survivors from the March 15 terror attacks, Ahmed Iqbal Jahangir who said it had been “amazing” to meet His Royal Highness.
“He shared his condolences with us and he said that we are in his prayers,” he told Stuff.
“He said what happened was really heartbreaking for them too.”
Prince Charles visits Cashmere High in Christchurch, meeting with victims of the mosque terror attacks on March 15. (Image: Getty)
The royals also visited Cashmere High where they met with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern again. The Christchurch high school had seven people associated with the school killed or injured in the mosque attacks earlier this year.
Following a moving speech by Head Boy Okirano Tilaia, Prince Charles addressed the crowd to offer his condolences, “It seems to me that the only possible remedy of such understandable feelings of despair is hope.
“Hope that love will triumph over hate, that understanding might dispel suspicion, and that the strength of our communities can prevail against all efforts to divide us.
“In this regard, my wife and I have been so greatly heartened by the way that the people of Christchurch, and of New Zealand, have come together in quiet but determined defiance of those who seek to sow such division.”
Adding: “You have held hands to support your neighbours to demonstrate to the world that there is no place for hatred in this society.”
Getting stuck in in the kitchen and addressing the state of the global environment
Along with a walkabout in Christchurch city and a visit to the heavily damaged Christ Church Cathedral, Duchess Camilla spent the afternoon learning about programmes run in the city to support older residents.
This included joining Senior Chef members who were learning to improve their cooking skills as well as watching a performance by the Silver Swans, a programme run by the Royal Academy of Dance to provide ballet lessons designed for over 55s.
The Duchess also heard about the work of the Battered Women’s Trust, a charity dedicated to supporting families to live violence free, where she was presented with a Refuge Diamond pin, given to women who have provided service to the movement for many years.
Meanwhile, Prince Charles visited Lincoln University to deliver a State of the Global Environment address which he said was an honour to be invited to do, “but more than this, I fear it is a rather worrying indication of just how devastatingly serious the situation has become.
“We stand at the threshold of a global transformation with the potential to secure a prosperous and sustainable future for us all,” he said.
“But can we cross the threshold quickly enough? That is the defining challenge of this most critical of times.”
Read the entirety of the Prince of Wales’ passionate speech, here.
Day Six: Saturday, 23 November
The final day in Aotearoa
On the final morning of Charles and Camilla’s royal visit to New Zealand, the couple met with stallholders and locals at the Lincoln Farmer’s Market, and one young fan even walked away with the future King’s autograph on the cast on his arm.
While Prince Charles made his way to Kaikōura to undertake a coastal walk and learn about the conservation initiatives in the area, Duchess Camilla visited the Christchurch Botanic Gardens where she toured the gardens and planted a tree to mark her visit.
Duchess Camilla visited the Christchurch Botanic Gardens on her final day in New Zealand. (Image: Getty)
And, just like that, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall’s royal visit to New Zealand came to an end.
While Duchess Camilla made her way back home to the UK, Prince Charles has travelled to the Solomon Islands, his first visit to the island nation and his last stop on his Autumn Tour.
We sure hope we’ll see them on our shores again soon!
