Prince Harry Takes Maori Salute During New Zealand Trip
Prince Harry got a traditional Maori welcome during his visit to New Zealand.
The royal arrived in New Zealand for a week-long tour of the country.
Prince Harry flew in from Australia after a month of training with the country’s armed forces, meeting injured soldiers and Aboriginal communities.
New Zealand’s PM John Key greeted the prince as he landed in Wellington.
Prince Harry then went on to a ceremony at the National War Memorial in the capital where he laid a wreath.
John Key tweeted: “Great to welcome Prince Harry to New Zealand on a brilliant Wellington day.”
The prime minster also tweeted pictures of the “fantastic crowd” waiting for Prince Harry as well as a puppy that the prime minister brought along to welcome him.
Kensington Palace tweeted a picture of Prince Harry watching a powhiri – a Maori welcoming ritual – followed by a haka.
He was treated to the ceremonial welcome on the lawn in front of Government House, the home of the Governor General Jerry Mateparae and his wife Janine.
Performed by members of the New Zealand armed forces, the powhiri started with a wero, an ancient tradition to determine whether visitors come in peace.
At the house he was invited to hongi, where he clasped hands and pressed his nose up against the people he met.
Prince Harry also saw a mass haka by students from a local college and was given a 21-gun salute.
The fifth in line to the British throne then met school children, one of whom presented him with a card for his new-born niece, Princess Charlotte.
Harry tucked the envelope into his suit pocket and told her: “I won’t open it, I’ll keep it safe and I’ll make sure she gets it.”
He also visited the National War Memorial Park and paid his respects at its Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.
Prince Harry left a note on a wreath laid during his visit to the memorial park, which read: “In memory of all those who have paid the ultimate price and in grateful recognition of those who have served NZ.”
He also inspected a guard of honor made up of members of the Royal New Zealand Navy, Army Logistic Regiment, and the Air Force before watching a rugby game between Wellington’s Hurricanes and South Africa’s Durban-based Sharks.
The week-long visit is the first Prince Harry has made to New Zealand and throughout the trip he is expected to be given a broad introduction to Kiwi culture and society, including visiting the country’s most southern and very remote community on Stewart Island.