Prince William today completed his first day of his tour of New Zealand.
Today was the future king's first day of a five-day trip to the British colony (it gained independence from Britain in 1907, but we still know that Britain's in the saddle).
The prince - who is still training to be a Royal Navy search and rescue pilot - had a traditional Maori dinner cooked in an earth oven outside Government House in Auckland.
The 17-year-old was probably glad for the chance to relax after picking up a delicate injury.
Rugby, introduced by the British, is very mich New Zealand's national sport, where the game is a religion. William gave an audible yelp and winced as a ball thrown by a schoolboy from Pakuranga club in Auckland hit him between the legs.
Prince William is also a rugby fan (and also the President of the English Football Association) and had been showing off his handling skills with the group of under-tens before the unfortunate incident.
A party was held in the grounds of Government House where more than 60 young people from the local Auckland community mingled.
The hangi - a traditional oven used by the Maori, New Zealand's indigenous people - had been dug in the lawn earlier in the day and the hole had then been lined with volcanic rocks and branches from the manuka tree and set on fire.
After a while the embers were dug out, leaving just the red-hot stones upon which metal baskets of pork, beef, mutton, chicken, kumara (sweet potatoes), pumpkin, cabbages and carrots were laid.
After stepping off the aircraft at Auckland International Airport this morning, the prince visited Auckland's Eden Park rugby stadium, which is being re-developed for when New Zealand hosts the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
New Zealand is almost exactly the same size as Britain but has a population of just 4 million. It was annexed by Britain in 1840 and the British made it a part of their colony of New South Wales (which the British named because of its supposed resemblance to south Wales back home, despite the fact that Wales is almost totally devoid of desert, kangaroos and koala bears), now an Australian state. New Zealand had the option of remaining a part of Australia but decided on being a separate nation.
Prince William rounds off first day of New Zealand tour with traditional Maori Sunday dinner
By Anny Shaw
17th January 2010
Daily Mail
Normally when members of the Royal Family travel abroad, formal banquets and strict dress codes await.
But Prince William was treated to a somewhat less formal Sunday dinner today as he touched down in New Zealand at the start of his official five-day trip on behalf of the Queen.
A relaxed Sunday feeling prevailed as the young prince rounded off his first day with a traditional Maori dinner or hangi.
Prince William lifts a parcel of food out of the traditional Maori earth oven called a hangi, at Government House in Auckland, New Zealand, today
The prince laughs with the youngsters after the rugby ball hit him straight between the legs, leaving him with a delicate injury
He might have felt in need for a little relaxation after he picked up a delicate injury while playing catch with a group of rugby-mad youngsters earlier in the day.
William gave an audible yelp and winced as a ball thrown by a schoolboy from Pakuranga club in Auckland hit him between the legs.
The royal, who is a long-time rugby fan, had been showing off his handling skills with the group of under-tens before the unfortunate incident.
But the second-in-line to the throne showed no ill effects from the mistimed catch that left the schoolboys laughing.
Hours later, Prince William turned up for the meal wearing a casual blue open-necked shirt featuring a Maori design, which the governor general had given him.
He was obviously taking note of what his host, Sir Anand Satyanand, the governor general of New Zealand had said when he insisted there would be 'no emphasis on protocol and stiff shirtedness'.
The governor's spokesman, Antony Paltridge, said: 'We figured that the prince has enough black tie dinners to go to and wanted to give him a chance to mix and mingle with people of his own age in a traditional, relaxed Kiwi manner.'
The party was held in the grounds of Government House where more than 60 young people from the local Auckland community mingled.
The hangi had been dug in the lawn earlier in the day and the hole had then been lined with volcanic rocks and branches from the manuka tree and set on fire.
After a while the embers were dug out, leaving just the red-hot stones upon which metal baskets of pork, beef, mutton, chicken, kumara (sweet potatoes), pumpkin, cabbages and carrots were laid.
The prince turned up for the informal Sunday dinner wearing a blue open-necked shirt featuring a Maori design
Is this my dinner? William and New Zealand's governor general Anand Satyanand lift their food from the hangi
The food was then wrapped in muslin soaked in water to prevent burning and provide water for steaming the food before being covered with wet Hessian sacks and loose soil and left to cook for three hours.
Grant Hawke, 68, chief of the local Ngati Whatua tribe, who prepared the feast, said: 'All we needed to do was add a little salt and thyme because the cooking process - which works like an underground pressure cooker - leaves the food with a wonderful smoky flavour.
'The process has been used by the Maori people for many hundreds of years and is absolutely delicious.'
William watched curiously as tribe members pulled back the Hessian sacks, joking: 'It's just like pass the parcel.'
He was then invited to don a pair of gloves and help to lift up the first basket of food which was carried back to the kitchens to prepare.
The dinner came at the end of a day crammed full of official engagements.
After stepping off the aircraft at Auckland International Airport this morning, the prince visited Auckland's Eden Park rugby stadium, which is being re-developed for 2011's Rugby World Cup.
Eden Park's capacity is being increased to 60,000 for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, which New Zealand won in 1987 and England in 2003
During the tour of the stadium, which will open its new south and east stands later this year, William was shown the Webb Ellis cup - the Rugby World Cup trophy - and was joined by New Zealand's All Blacks captain Richie McCaw.
The prince, who wore a casual shirt, cords and trainers, wore a hard hat and orange bib to walk through the south stand, which is still a shell.
When he sat in one of the few spectator seats he looked down and joked there was 'no cup holder'.
Earlier in the day, the prince took to the helm as he sailed around Auckland Harbour on an America's Cup yacht
Prince William then took to the helm as he sailed around Auckland Harbour on an America's Cup yacht, which raced in the 1995 event and was later brought to New Zealand.
He steered the vessel - NZL41 - through the harbour after joining the crew and helping to raise the main sail.
Prince William's tour of one of the most far-flung parts of the Queen's realm raises questions about the future of the monarchy and whether William will one day be King of New Zealand.
What is a hangi?
A hangi (pronounced 'hungee') is a traditional New Zealand Maori method of cooking food using heated rocks buried in a pit oven that dates back to pre-European times.
Hangi, which means 'supply of life', are normally dug by Maori ira tane (men) as the Maori Wahine (women) aren't allowed to take part in the preparation.
To 'lay a hangi' involves digging a pit in the ground, heating stones in the pit with a large fire, placing baskets of food on top of the stones, and covering everything with earth for several hours before uncovering the hangi.
Nowadays a hangi is most likely to be prepared using modern materials.
The country's Prime Minister, John Key, told the BBC it was inevitable they would one day get rid of the British monarch as their head of state, but not any time soon.
Keeping well away from the politics, Prince William told reporters it meant an awful lot to be representing the Queen in New Zealand and he wanted to keep up the standards she had 'led the way with'.
The prince added: 'It's great being here, I did come about four and a half years ago - had a great time here.
'This is obviously a bit more official, although still enjoying the fact it's reasonably relaxed, and I just love seeing everyone and seeing more of New Zealand, so it's great.'
Asked whether this was the first of many tours to come, the prince replied in a classically cautious manner: 'You'll have to wait and see. I wouldn't get too carried away.'
He pointed out that he was still training as an RAF search and rescue pilot and, as he put it, 'I need the training, believe me'.
The 27-year-old prince's visit has generated unprecedented interest amongst the British media who have travelled to the South Pacific islands in large numbers not seen since the foreign tours of Diana, Princess of Wales.
William is a senior member of the Royal Family but is significantly older than when his father, the Prince of Wales, made his first foreign trip on behalf of the Queen aged just 19.
Charles travelled to Australia to represent his mother at the memorial service for Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt in 1967 (who went swimming off Cheviot Beach near Portsea, Victoria, in December of that year and was never seen again).
Tomorrow Prince William will officially open New Zealand's new Supreme Court building.
dailymail.co.uk
Today was the future king's first day of a five-day trip to the British colony (it gained independence from Britain in 1907, but we still know that Britain's in the saddle).
The prince - who is still training to be a Royal Navy search and rescue pilot - had a traditional Maori dinner cooked in an earth oven outside Government House in Auckland.
The 17-year-old was probably glad for the chance to relax after picking up a delicate injury.
Rugby, introduced by the British, is very mich New Zealand's national sport, where the game is a religion. William gave an audible yelp and winced as a ball thrown by a schoolboy from Pakuranga club in Auckland hit him between the legs.
Prince William is also a rugby fan (and also the President of the English Football Association) and had been showing off his handling skills with the group of under-tens before the unfortunate incident.
A party was held in the grounds of Government House where more than 60 young people from the local Auckland community mingled.
The hangi - a traditional oven used by the Maori, New Zealand's indigenous people - had been dug in the lawn earlier in the day and the hole had then been lined with volcanic rocks and branches from the manuka tree and set on fire.
After a while the embers were dug out, leaving just the red-hot stones upon which metal baskets of pork, beef, mutton, chicken, kumara (sweet potatoes), pumpkin, cabbages and carrots were laid.
After stepping off the aircraft at Auckland International Airport this morning, the prince visited Auckland's Eden Park rugby stadium, which is being re-developed for when New Zealand hosts the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
New Zealand is almost exactly the same size as Britain but has a population of just 4 million. It was annexed by Britain in 1840 and the British made it a part of their colony of New South Wales (which the British named because of its supposed resemblance to south Wales back home, despite the fact that Wales is almost totally devoid of desert, kangaroos and koala bears), now an Australian state. New Zealand had the option of remaining a part of Australia but decided on being a separate nation.
Prince William rounds off first day of New Zealand tour with traditional Maori Sunday dinner
By Anny Shaw
17th January 2010
Daily Mail
Normally when members of the Royal Family travel abroad, formal banquets and strict dress codes await.
But Prince William was treated to a somewhat less formal Sunday dinner today as he touched down in New Zealand at the start of his official five-day trip on behalf of the Queen.
A relaxed Sunday feeling prevailed as the young prince rounded off his first day with a traditional Maori dinner or hangi.
Prince William lifts a parcel of food out of the traditional Maori earth oven called a hangi, at Government House in Auckland, New Zealand, today
The prince laughs with the youngsters after the rugby ball hit him straight between the legs, leaving him with a delicate injury
He might have felt in need for a little relaxation after he picked up a delicate injury while playing catch with a group of rugby-mad youngsters earlier in the day.
William gave an audible yelp and winced as a ball thrown by a schoolboy from Pakuranga club in Auckland hit him between the legs.
The royal, who is a long-time rugby fan, had been showing off his handling skills with the group of under-tens before the unfortunate incident.
But the second-in-line to the throne showed no ill effects from the mistimed catch that left the schoolboys laughing.
Hours later, Prince William turned up for the meal wearing a casual blue open-necked shirt featuring a Maori design, which the governor general had given him.
He was obviously taking note of what his host, Sir Anand Satyanand, the governor general of New Zealand had said when he insisted there would be 'no emphasis on protocol and stiff shirtedness'.
The governor's spokesman, Antony Paltridge, said: 'We figured that the prince has enough black tie dinners to go to and wanted to give him a chance to mix and mingle with people of his own age in a traditional, relaxed Kiwi manner.'
The party was held in the grounds of Government House where more than 60 young people from the local Auckland community mingled.
The hangi had been dug in the lawn earlier in the day and the hole had then been lined with volcanic rocks and branches from the manuka tree and set on fire.
After a while the embers were dug out, leaving just the red-hot stones upon which metal baskets of pork, beef, mutton, chicken, kumara (sweet potatoes), pumpkin, cabbages and carrots were laid.
The prince turned up for the informal Sunday dinner wearing a blue open-necked shirt featuring a Maori design
Is this my dinner? William and New Zealand's governor general Anand Satyanand lift their food from the hangi
The food was then wrapped in muslin soaked in water to prevent burning and provide water for steaming the food before being covered with wet Hessian sacks and loose soil and left to cook for three hours.
Grant Hawke, 68, chief of the local Ngati Whatua tribe, who prepared the feast, said: 'All we needed to do was add a little salt and thyme because the cooking process - which works like an underground pressure cooker - leaves the food with a wonderful smoky flavour.
'The process has been used by the Maori people for many hundreds of years and is absolutely delicious.'
William watched curiously as tribe members pulled back the Hessian sacks, joking: 'It's just like pass the parcel.'
He was then invited to don a pair of gloves and help to lift up the first basket of food which was carried back to the kitchens to prepare.
The dinner came at the end of a day crammed full of official engagements.
After stepping off the aircraft at Auckland International Airport this morning, the prince visited Auckland's Eden Park rugby stadium, which is being re-developed for 2011's Rugby World Cup.
Eden Park's capacity is being increased to 60,000 for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, which New Zealand won in 1987 and England in 2003
During the tour of the stadium, which will open its new south and east stands later this year, William was shown the Webb Ellis cup - the Rugby World Cup trophy - and was joined by New Zealand's All Blacks captain Richie McCaw.
The prince, who wore a casual shirt, cords and trainers, wore a hard hat and orange bib to walk through the south stand, which is still a shell.
When he sat in one of the few spectator seats he looked down and joked there was 'no cup holder'.
Earlier in the day, the prince took to the helm as he sailed around Auckland Harbour on an America's Cup yacht
Prince William then took to the helm as he sailed around Auckland Harbour on an America's Cup yacht, which raced in the 1995 event and was later brought to New Zealand.
He steered the vessel - NZL41 - through the harbour after joining the crew and helping to raise the main sail.
Prince William's tour of one of the most far-flung parts of the Queen's realm raises questions about the future of the monarchy and whether William will one day be King of New Zealand.
What is a hangi?
A hangi (pronounced 'hungee') is a traditional New Zealand Maori method of cooking food using heated rocks buried in a pit oven that dates back to pre-European times.
Hangi, which means 'supply of life', are normally dug by Maori ira tane (men) as the Maori Wahine (women) aren't allowed to take part in the preparation.
To 'lay a hangi' involves digging a pit in the ground, heating stones in the pit with a large fire, placing baskets of food on top of the stones, and covering everything with earth for several hours before uncovering the hangi.
Nowadays a hangi is most likely to be prepared using modern materials.
The country's Prime Minister, John Key, told the BBC it was inevitable they would one day get rid of the British monarch as their head of state, but not any time soon.
Keeping well away from the politics, Prince William told reporters it meant an awful lot to be representing the Queen in New Zealand and he wanted to keep up the standards she had 'led the way with'.
The prince added: 'It's great being here, I did come about four and a half years ago - had a great time here.
'This is obviously a bit more official, although still enjoying the fact it's reasonably relaxed, and I just love seeing everyone and seeing more of New Zealand, so it's great.'
Asked whether this was the first of many tours to come, the prince replied in a classically cautious manner: 'You'll have to wait and see. I wouldn't get too carried away.'
He pointed out that he was still training as an RAF search and rescue pilot and, as he put it, 'I need the training, believe me'.
The 27-year-old prince's visit has generated unprecedented interest amongst the British media who have travelled to the South Pacific islands in large numbers not seen since the foreign tours of Diana, Princess of Wales.
William is a senior member of the Royal Family but is significantly older than when his father, the Prince of Wales, made his first foreign trip on behalf of the Queen aged just 19.
Charles travelled to Australia to represent his mother at the memorial service for Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt in 1967 (who went swimming off Cheviot Beach near Portsea, Victoria, in December of that year and was never seen again).
Tomorrow Prince William will officially open New Zealand's new Supreme Court building.
dailymail.co.uk
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