Royal fans slept in park to see monarch
It was warm and sunny in Taranaki when Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh made their first visit to the province.
The ‘‘shining red and white’’ royal train arrived at Pātea Railway Station at 2.55pm on January 8, 1954.
The Taranaki Herald reported there were about 6000 people packed into the railway yards to see the Queen, including school children who were waving and cheering.
The royal couple were first introduced to local dignitaries including the mayor GW Corbett.
The Pātea Municipal Band played the national anthem. Later in the proceedings the Highland Pipe Band started playing, but had barely begun when the mayor signalled for them to stop.
According to the Herald the band ignored him and kept playing, while the crowd laughed nervously.
The band eventually stopped playing and the mayor called for three cheers for the royal guests, before they got back on the train.
Next stop was Hāwera where people had begun waiting at 9am, seven hours before the Queen was expected.
Women from Waimate West and Manaia made a floral replica of ‘‘Mt Egmont’’ and South Taranaki school children joined forces with the Hāwera women’s bowling club to make a large floral display to go under War Memorial Arch in Princes St.
The third stop of the day was Stratford, where there had been a last-minute panic in getting 10,000 seats installed along the main street.
Grandstands were still being assembled at 2.30pm and with the train due at 5pm there was still a lot of work to do despite workmen working through the night.
Broadway was closed to traffic and shops had closed at 1pm, to enable workers to go home before the road closed.
During the visit Prince Philip stopped and talked to some marching girls, commenting on their medals.
The couple arrived in New Plymouth that night and stayed at the Criterion Hotel.
Six months earlier the then New Plymouth City Council had put aside 6000 pounds for the royal visit and organised to change shop hours to 9am to 5pm, reopening again at 7pm until 9pm.
This gave people the opportunity to go and see the couple arrive in New Plymouth.
For her first day in Taranaki the Queen wore a white suit, white shoes and gloves and a red hat.
The next day she wore another suit that the Taranaki Herald described as heavier than yesterday’s, but with the same full skirt. The suit had a white background patterned with tiny pink carnations and green leaves. She accessorised with a tiny green hat tucked with green and white, white gloves, white shoes and a green handbag.
A trip to the Bell Block Dairy factory was first on the agenda for the royal couple’s first full day in New Plymouth. The route out to Bell Block was lined with well-wishers.
They arrived back in town for a reception at Pukekura Park, arriving at 11.25am, to a loud welcome from 18,000 people.
People had started arriving at 3pm the day before, with 170 sleeping in the park to ensure they had a good view of proceedings.
Central School’s children’s choir sang a special song, the Queen spoke, and there were formal presentations.
About 100 patients were taken to the park by car or ambulance, so they could see the Queen.
Later the couple flew out of Bell Block aerodrome at 2.33pm.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited New Plymouth twice more, once in 1970 and again on February 25, 1977.
That morning they arrived at New Plymouth Airport at 11.05 am to the sound of cheers from 3000 well wishers.
They went straight to a reception at the corner of Gover and Devon St before going on a walkabout along Devon St, where 6000 people had packed the area to see her. People were 10 deep along Devon St, the Taranaki Herald reported.
Most schools were shut for the day and many shops and businesses including banks closed between 11.15pm and 12.15pm.
Meanwhile the duke flew to Kapuni in a helicopter. He rejoined the Queen at the airport and they flew out at 2.55pm.