The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge take a tour with Prince George
- Published
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge touched down with their son Prince George at Wellington Airport on 7 April to begin their tour of New Zealand. Their trip is part of a 19-day official visit to New Zealand and Australia, and is the first official tour for the eight-month-old prince.
Shortly after arriving, the couple were given a traditional Maori welcome.
The Duchess of Cambridge was welcomed using a Maori nose-press gesture known as a "hongi". She was wearing a red coat with gold buttons from British designer Catherine Walker, who was a favourite of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Aside from celebrations the couple also paid tribute to New Zealand's war dead and laid a wreath in the town of Blenheim to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One. While they were there they also unveiled a portrait of the Queen.
Crowds of fans, young and old, turned out to catch a glimpse of the prince and princess, at their various appointments around New Zealand which have seen them take part in a yacht race, visit a rugby stadium and a vineyard.
During their trip the royal couple met other new mothers and fathers and their children at Government House in Wellington, and Prince George got to have a crawl-about with other babies his age.
As part of the couple's tour Prince William was chosen to start a cycle race at the Avantidrome in Hamilton.
There were also some strong reactions to the royals' visit. When the duke and duchess arrived at Auckland harbour, an aircraft flew over the crowd towing a banner expressing the view that some would prefer a native head of state.
The Duchess of Cambridge has become one of many royal visitors to New Zealand. The first was Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, second son of Queen Victoria. He arrived in Wellington in 1869 as Captain of HMS Galatea.
On the fifth day of their tour the royal couple joined the crews of America's Cup yachts to race against each other at Waitemata Harbour off the coast of Auckland.
Crowds of people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the duke and duchess as they stopped at Cambridge on New Zealand's North Island on Saturday.
Then it was off to Australia, for a 10 day visit of the country. The family landed in Sydney and visited some of the city's famous sites - like the iconic Sydney Opera House.
Prince George was presented with a huge toy wombat by Australia's Governor-General Peter Cosgrove - which he seemed to like! Wombats are native to Australia and be most commonly found in the south east of the country.
The Duchess of Cambridge met Fred the ram during a visit to a farming fair in Sydney on Good Friday. She and Prince William were also treated to a sheep-shearing demonstration during their tour of Australia.
The Royal couple have been greeted by well wishers everywhere they go -all wanting to catch a glimpse of William and Kate.
On Saturday 19 April the duke and duchess tried their hands at flying a jet! Well... almost. They plane stayed on the ground as they were given a tour of RAAF Base Amberley, near Brisbane, Australia.
During the visit to the air base, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge plants a eucalyptus tree in the Memorial Garden in remembrance of service men and women who have died.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended Easter Sunday mass at St Andrews Cathedral in Sydney. Australia.
After the service the Royal couple signed the first Prayer Book used by Christians at a service in Australia almost 200 years ago. On previous visits by members of the Royal family it's been signed by William's mum Princess Diana, his dad Prince Charles and his grandmother, HRH The Queen.
Later on Easter Sunday the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge meet Leuca the Koala during a visit to Taronga zoo...
...And Prince George made friends with a George the Bilby. The furry creature is a cross between a rat and a rabbit.
Next on their tour was the world famous Uluru, which was formerly known as Ayers Rock. The Duke and Duchess were there to catch sunset...
By the time the tour reached Adelaide, it was time to have a try at being a DJ in a community music centre. The royal tour will finish in the Australian capital, Canberra, on 25 April.
