Among her many titles, Queen Elizabeth also holds the honour of being the world’s most travelled monarch. Though she undertook 280 state and Commonwealth visits, New Zealand held a special place in her heart, just as she did in ours.
Following her coronation in June, the Queen and Prince Philip embarked on a six-month tour of the Commonwealth. They arrived in New Zealand in December, the only time they spent Christmas outside of the UK. As the first reigning monarch to visit our shores, New Zealand rolled out the red carpet, even dying sheep in the colours of the Union Jack. It is estimated that three in every four Kiwis saw the couple during their six-week tour.
A warm welcome in Waitangi.
Riding in an open-top car through the town of Russell, people took to the streets – and roofs – to get a peek.
A decade later, the royal couple returned for a short 12-day trip that began in the Bay of Islands, where they attended celebrations at Waitangi to mark the 123rd anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.
The royal family on the steps of Parliament Buildings.
To commemorate the bicentenary of James Cook making landfall in Aotearoa, the Queen and Prince Philip officially introduced New Zealand to their two eldest children, Prince Charles, then 21, and Princess Anne, 19.
The Queen makes Māori Queen Te Arikinui Te Atairangikaahu (1931-2006) a Dame Commander of the British Empire at an investiture ceremony at Wellington Town Hall.
The family returned to open the Christchurch Commonwealth Games, and Kiwis were treated to their first glimpse of the newly married Anne and her husband Captain Mark Phillips.
On your marks! As an extra incentive to the athletes, Her Majesty prepares to present the medals to the winners.
Schoolkids were rewarded for taking the day off school in Wellington.
While previous visits had taken a more casual tone, festivities for Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee Tour almost reached the buzz that her first visit to the country inspired. During the two-week tour, she officially opened New Zealand’s new government building – the Beehive.
Presiding over the State Opening of Parliament.
In hindsight, a ride in the back of a Land Rover in Wellington may not have been the best idea.
Following a Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Melbourne, the Queen popped over for a quick stay. Years later, declassified official documents were released stating the Queen had been the target of an assassination attempt from a teenager who fired a shot while she toured Dunedin. The attempt was allegedly covered up amid fears the royals would never return if they knew the truth.
It was a sunny reception in Napier.
The extension of her visits to Nepal and Australia, like many others, the occasion was marked by the appointment of several Kiwis to the Royal Victorian Order.
It was a busy trip for the Queen, who arrived in February to close the Commonwealth Games in Auckland, before attending events marking 150 years since the Treaty of Waitangi was signed.
Sharing a laugh with athletes at the Games.
With then-PM Jim Bolger and the Māori Queen.
During a visit for a Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Auckland, Elizabeth delivered a personal apology to the people of Tainui on behalf of the British Crown for the killings and seizure of land they suffered under Queen Victoria.
Arriving at Parliament House for a state dinner with former PM Helen Clark in 2002.
After the grand royal yacht Britannia was decommissioned in 1997, Elizabeth and Philip arrived by commercial aircraft for what would be their final time in Aotearoa. At a state dinner to mark her Golden Jubilee, she remarked, “It fills me with great pride to stand before you here today to express my lasting respect and deep affection for this country and for New Zealanders everywhere.”
Legend meets legend! The royal couple with Sir Edmund Hillary.
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