Hundreds of well-wishers braved the rain for the chance to meet Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall in Auckland today, giving the royal couple a very warm welcome.
A large — and very vocal crowd — crowd gathered along the lower end of Queen Street in downtown Auckland to greet the visiting royals.
Their commitment was rewarded by the couple, who spent 40 minutes shaking hands and chatting to everyone they could reach.
Earlier in the day, they were met by equally enthusiastic crowds at AUT Millennium Institute of Sport and Health and the Bruce Mason Theatre in Takapuna, where they watched a school performance of Hairy Maclary.
Georgia Wood, the show’s schoolgirl narrator said she was relieved the royals appeared to have enjoyed the show, after weeks of nerve-racking preparation.
“Camilla said that she reads the book to schools all around the country and she knows all of the words and it was perfect,” she said. “Charles said he thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed it and that he was laughing all the way through.”
After the theatre, the couple split, with Charles heading to Davenport Naval Base and the Coastguard New Zealand Headquarters, while Camilla attended an osteoporosis event at The Langham Hotel.
They came together for their joint walkabout, before separating again. This time Camilla went to East Tamaki Primary School, while Charles visited the University of Auckland and attended the New Zealand Shear Brilliance event.
The couple rounded off the evening by attending the Diamond Jubilee Trust Reception at the SkyCity Convention Centre.
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