Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Farewell New Zealand and G'day Australia!

     The Royal tour in New Zealand may have been a stunning success overall, but to the end, the weather was not always really cooperative in the way that the planners may have envisioned.

      And so it was that there was rain as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited and toured the Royal New Zealand Police College in Porirua, which had been opened by the Duke's father, Prince Charles in 1981 and received the "Royal" title in 1986 when the Queen made her own visit.

      Nevertheless, spirits were good as they met serving members of the No. 25 HRH Prince of Wales Cadet Wing, who participated in the opening ceremony of the facility with Charles on April 1, 1981. They also visited the Dog Training Center, where they - in a rather heartwarming fashion - met the puppies, who with time and experience, will be pressed into service as members the police force.
 
     William and Kate also made their way to the New Zealand Police Museum and the Memorial Wall to honor officers who have been killed in the line of duty.

      Prince George was not with his parents for this visit, but in his stead, his parents received a toy police dog from a member of the public, as well as a jersey in the style of an officer's uniform from the Police College.

      Following this, the royal couple drive to the city center of Wellington, where they conducted a walkabout at Civic Square with Mayor Celia Wade-Brown.
      Thankfully, the weather had cleared up, the sun came out, and the entire area was filled with enthusiastic Royal supporters who cheered on the future King and Queen of New Zealand, who made their way through the square as they received a rousing welcome.

      For many Kiwi's, this was their last chance to see the Duke and Duchess in person before the this leg of the Down Under tour ended, and it was clear that much goodwill had been built-up over the past week. It seemed as though the previous mentions of republicanism has been quashed as the people of New Zealand took positively to their Royal Family.

      Having made their way to Wellington Town Hall, William and Kate signed the city's visitors' book, and with that, their official tour of New Zealand was over.

      They then drove to the Air Force base, where - with Prince George in his father's hands - they boarded a Royal Australian Air Force jet bound for Sydney.

      Upon arriving at the city's Kingsford Smith Airport, the Duke and Duchess and Prince George were met on the tarmac by the recently-installed Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, Prime Minister Tony Abbot, and other dignitaries.
      Coming off the plane, Kate carried George to the ground, but then handed him off to William so that she could receive a posy from a local girl. The Duchess was wearing a Roksanda Ilincic yellow and white dress - yellow because it is an Australian color.

      From here, the little Prince was taken to Admiralty House whilst his parents were transported to the renowned Sydney Opera House for a reception that was originally to be hosted by the Governor of New South Wales and the Premier, Barry O'Farrell. However, Mr. O'Farrell had resigned within the previous 24 hours amidst a scandal allegedly involving him taking an improper political gift. In his place was Don Harwin, President of the New South Wales Legislative Council.

The Duke and Duchess attending the reception at Sydney Opera House

     At the historic Opera House - which had been opened by the Queen of Australia in 1973 - there were crowds that been gradually building all day, thanks in part to the exceptionally good weather.

      William and Kate arrived there for reception, where he gave a heart-felt speech in which he praised Australia for being a "beacon of confidence, creativity in the arts and sporting ability" and remarked that the Opera House was the most impressive place to begin this year's tour. The Duke also made references to his mother's and grandmother's affection for Australia and the Australian people, and commented that he and his family were looking forward to their time in the country.

      The reception also included meeting various people, including children in theater groups, as well as local and national political figures.
      When it was over, the Duke and Duchess stepped outside for a brief walkabout with seemed to involve several hundreds of people as they attempted to get a glimpse of their future King and Queen.

      From there, they boarded a police boat to travel down to Admiralty House, where they and Prince George would spend the night.

      In the next morning, William and Kate will visit the Blue Mountains to the west of Sydney, where they will meet some of the families who were affected by last year's October bushfires, as well as members of the emergency services who provided assistance to those people.

     And so, the Australian half of this tour has gotten off to a good start, helped along by the very good weather. Here's to the weather holding up better here than in New Zealand, and that this visit will be a resounding success!


Photo Credit: Twitter embeds, screenshots from Internet live streams     

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