Five year old Saffron Chisholm from St Mary’s school in Mosgiel is waiting on the platform next to the train which will take Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall to Dunedin, hoping to present them with a bouquet of flowers and two presents, a book of crosswords and a box of chocolates.
She’s nestled in a crowd of about 500 people at Mosgiel Railway Station and when the royals arrive the crowd is not disappointed.
The Prince and Duchess spend considerable time greeting the crowd – and excited gift-laden Saffron is one of the crowd picked out by the royals for a personal greeting.
Her mother says it was a spur of the moment decision to come, but she’s pleased they did and Saffron is over the moon!
Mayor Dave Cull accompanied the royal couple on the train and on board they talked to long-serving volunteers from the Otago Train Excursion Trust.
At Dunedin they were met by an impressive crowd of about 1500 at the railway station, and locals of all ages lined the barricades along the 300 metre walk from the station to Toitu Dunedin Settlers Museum.
Along this part of the route The Prince and Duchess shook hands and talked with fans the whole way. At the Toitu Otago Settlers Museum in Dunedin, the couple were welcomed with another rousing haka. Professor John Broughton, Associate Dean of the University of Otago, cheekily presented His Royal Highness with a World Cup pin to celebrate the All Blacks win.
After a traditional waiata (Maori song), the royal couple walked through the museum to the Smith Gallery, where portraits of early settlers covered the walls and they met descendants of those in the portraits.
Next the couple separated – Prince Charles visiting Animation Research, the pioneering Dunedin firm behind the first live 3D sport graphics; and meeting the man behind it all, Ian Taylor.
In a room filled with computers and gadgets, the Prince was shown a video of recent work in high performance sports, as well as in architecture projects for the Christchurch rebuild. The Prince tested virtual reality headsets, through which he” sailed” on a catamaran and “shot” through the rapids on a jet boat on the Shotover River. “I’m not going to look for too long,” he laughed.
His Royal Highness then sat behind the wheel of a virtual America’s Cup yacht on a high tech simulator and with some help “sailed” a Team New Zealand catamaran around a course on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour.
Leaving Animation Research, Prince Charles thanked the person who made him a cup of tea, but admitted he didn’t get a chance to drink it. “I was worried I’d spill it on someone’s computer terminal,” he joked.
Prince Charles holding a young tuatara – an ancient lizard.
Meanwhile Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, spent the afternoon meeting esteemed members of the University of Otago and several of New Zealand’s top and aspiring authors and poets, as she asserted her great passion for literature and the arts. After being led into the Council Chamber of the University of Otago by pipe Major Liam Kernaghan, the Duchess mingled with guests, discussing her voracious passion for books.
Lynley Dodd, creator of the Hairy Maclary book series says the Duchess immediately recognised her from their previous meeting in Auckland.
“Last time we met it was at a show in Auckland where she and the other guests had to sing along to Hairy Maclary, so I suspect she was rather pleased she didn’t have to do that today, particularly as I believe she has a cough at the moment!” said Lynley.
The Duchess describes Dodd as “author of my grandchildren’s favourite books” and joked with her that her grandchildren squabble over them.
Camilla also asked Dodd what she had been doing recently and when Dodd explained her time is mostly taken up by emailing, the Duchess protested that she doesn’t “care for cell phones and emails,” which left the pair chuckling. Later talking to Donald Kerr, Special Collections Librarian at the University, the 67-year-old described herself as “a Luddite” when it comes to computers and technology, very much preferring the printed word.
Nervously waiting to perform was 19-year-old musician Jake Cropley who performed his award winning song, On Forever Ye Go. His nerves certainly didn’t get the better of him, as he gave a performance the Duchess said she thoroughly enjoyed. His greatest fan in the room however, was his grandfather, David Griffiths who said the whole experience made him very emotional. “I certainly teared up,” he says. “It was just wonderful.”
The Duchess then addressed the room, remarking “You’re a hard act to follow, Jake.”
Camilla explained how pleased she was to be back in New Zealand for her second visit and then discussed one of her great passions – books, and how this great love came to be. “I was so lucky to have a father, an ardent bibliophile, who read to us night after night throughout our childhood. He opened the door to that whole new world of adventure, excitement, joy and sadness. That world of books has remained a life-long pleasure.”
The Royal Couple finally reunited at the Orokonui eco-sanctuary. The visit coincides with the national Conservation Week and during a short walk around the sanctuary, the Prince was shown and then held a young tuatara, an ancient lizard.
A bee then chose the moment to surprise the Prince, landing on his inner leg and he quickly returned the lizard to its box. Fortunately there was no sting to this last tale of the royal day in New Zealand.
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