Prince Harry presses noses and talks rugby on first trip to New Zealand
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Version 0 of 1. Prince Harry arrived in New Zealand on Saturday for a week-long visit and was soon talking about the country’s prowess in rugby, pressing noses with Maori leaders and laughing off marriage proposals. Harry was greeted by the prime minister, John Key, and other dignitaries when his plane landed in Wellington. Wearing a blue suit, Harry stopped often to say hello to cheering fans as he began his first tour of New Zealand. From the airport he went to Government House for an official welcome. He pressed noses with Maori leaders in a traditional hongi greeting and met military representatives. He also spoke with schoolchildren, feigning surprise when some told him they didn’t play rugby. “I thought you would be forced to play rugby,” he said. “That’s why you have such a good rugby team isn’t it?” Harry was scheduled to watch a rugby game on Saturday night between Wellington’s Hurricanes and South Africa’s Durban-based Sharks. The prince also talked about football, telling the children that most royal family members were Arsenal fans. One girl gave Harry a card for his niece, Princess Charlotte, which he put in his suit pocket and promised to pass along. Charlotte was born last week, bumping Harry down a notch to fifth in line to the throne. The prince then travelled to the national war memorial where he laid a wreath at the foot of a statue and placed a native fern on the tomb of the Unknown Warrior, to honour those killed in the second world war. The 30-year-old was greeted along the way by exuberant fans, some offering to marry him and one woman holding a sign with lipstick kisses that read “Don’t worry, I won’t kiss you!” – a reference to a woman who managed to land a kiss on the prince’s cheek in Sydney earlier this week. Harry seemed to take the attention in good spirits. When two young women held up a sign saying “Harry, fried rice at our palace tonight?” he jokingly asked them where their palace was located. He even stopped to join in singing Happy Birthday to a girl wearing a party hat. Harry will be in New Zealand until 16 May, with one of his scheduled stops being Stewart Island, south of the South Island, with a population of 378. From there he will take a boat to the even more remote Ulva Island, a predator-free sanctuary for rare native species, including the Stewart Island brown kiwi. He is also scheduled to visit Christchurch, Whanganui, Linton and Auckland. The grandson of Queen Elizabeth II arrived from Australia after a month of being embedded with the Australian army. |