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Charles & Camilla’s NZ tour
Put a note on your calendar – the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall have just confirmed their trip to New Zealand next month and we have all the details about where you’ll be able to spot them!
It’s the third time the pair have visited New Zealand together, with their last visit in 2015 when they toured Auckland, New Plymouth, Wellington, Nelson and Dunedin.
This time, Prince Charles (70) and Camilla (72) will arrive in Auckland on Sunday, November 17 and visit the Bay of Islands, including the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. It’s the first time in 25 years that a member of the royal family will visit Waitangi.
Clarence House confirmed that the pair will receive an official welcome at Government House in Auckland with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern before moving to Waitangi, where they wish to “honour the relationship between the Crown and the Maˉori people”.
The tour then moves to Christchurch and Kaikoura, where Jacinda says Charles and Camilla “will see the regeneration of Christchurch since the 2011 earthquake and how the community has rallied to support those affected by the March 15 terrorist attacks. The effects on the community of the 2016 earthquake will also be seen first-hand in Kaikoura.”
Charles is said to be interested in learning about the effect the earthquake had on road and rail connections.
The week-long tour will also provide opportunities for the royal couple to focus on causes close to their hearts. Camilla’s itinerary will concentrate on domestic violence and literacy. Charles will focus on young people and environmental issues – with particular emphasis on tackling plastic waste.
It’ll be a focus he continues when the tour moves to Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands, where he’ll talk about climate change and sustainable fisheries.
When he last touched down in Wellington, we were celebrating our recent Rugby World Cup win. He told the crowd outside Parliament he’d travelled more than 17,000km to congratulate the best rugby team in the world, then joked, “What the hell am I going to say to the Aussies next week?”
Let’s hope he has cause to make similar jokes this time around!