royal visit to nz 1970 itinerary

Royal family shares throwback photo from 1970 New Zealand tour

Princess Anne, Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles during their tour of New Zealand in 1970. Photo / Getty Images

Fifty years before it became the site of anti-mandate protests, the steps of Parliament in Wellington were host to the Queen and members of the royal family as they toured the country in 1970.

A historic image of Her Majesty, her late husband Prince Philip, a young Prince Charles and Princess Anne all standing on Parliament's steps, flanked by thrilled Kiwi fans, has been shared to Instagram, collecting over 75,000 likes.

The caption reads: "The Queen is joined by The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and The Princess Royal on the steps of the Parliament Building in Wellington, New Zealand following the State Opening of Parliament."

Part of the countdown to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee weekend in June, the black and white image is one of 70 that has been chosen to represent a year of the Queen's seven-decade reign.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily)

The Queen is the first British Royal to reach a Platinum Jubilee, having ascended the throne on February 6, 1952.

READ MORE: • The Queen as you've never seen her before: Candid 1953 home movie shot in New Zealand surfaces

Her family's time in New Zealand in 1970 was scheduled for the bicentenary of Captain Cook's 1770 expedition to Australia. Part of their tour included a visit to Ship Cove in Marlborough to watch a reenactment of Cook's landing there, from the Endeavour.

The family also took in a sea lion performance at the Marine Parade Pool in Napier, viewed a model train in Picton and met Hori Paki who was 104 and believed to be New Zealand's oldest man at the time.

The Queen first visited New Zealand in the summer of 1953-1954, embarking on a 38-day tour that took her and her husband, Prince Philip, to 46 towns or cities and 110 functions, with three-quarters of the country estimated to have spotted a royal wave.

In 1963, on Waitangi Day the royal couple sailed into the Bay of Islands on the royal yacht Britannia, visiting ports around the country, including Nelson, from which the Duke - whose flagship Duke of Edinburgh Award programme helped thousands of young people master valuable life skills - visited the Outward Bound School at Anakiwa.

The Queen and Duke, along with Charles and Anne, were back seven years later for the James Cook bicentenary, where they debuted the royal "walkabout".

The royal couple would return for the Commonwealth Games in Christchurch four years later, three years after that to mark the Queen's Silver Jubilee - thought by some to have come closest to matching the excitement of a quarter of a century earlier - and, in 1981, a short visit followed a Commonwealth Heads of Government conference over the ditch.

It might've been brief, but the 1981 tour left the country with the endearing memory of Ginette McDonald's Lyn of Tawa addressing the royals directly at the Royal Variety Performance.

The next most prominent visit came in 1990, when New Zealand marked 150 years since the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Auckland hosted the Commonwealth Games, with the Queen, Duke and their son Prince Edward in attendance.

The last New Zealand visit by the pair was in 2002, with the only glitch relating to an errant Daimler.

The Daimler, only used for visits by head of state, suffered a flat battery.

As the royal couple waited on their now stationary Australia-bound aircraft, airport workers had the ignominious task of pushing the incapacitated car out of the way.

• Additional reporting Cherie Howie

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The Royal Visit 1970

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Radio coverage of the 1970 royal tour of New Zealand by Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and Princess Anne. Commentary of the Britannia arriving at the Wellington overseas terminal by Marama Martin and Dougal Stevenson. Description of the scene as the royal family disembark and begin their informal tour of New Zealand. A series of news reports and commentaries of the 1970 royal tour. Extracts of a speech given by the Prime Minister, Keith Holyoake to which the Queen replies at the overseas terminal.

Edited extracts from Sound Archives ID 200131

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Queen Elizabeth II’s First tour of New Zealand

December 23, 1953 - january 31, 1954.

In 1953, the newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth II made her first visit here, taking in 46 towns and cities over six weeks. Kiwis lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the young royal, and her trip highlights were of the most iconic Kiwi order — a Watties factory, butter churning, bridge jumping, and an ice cream cake with a map of the South Island.

Images courtesy of Alexander Turnbull Library

New Zealand was centre-stage on 25 December, 1953, when Queen Elizabeth broadcast her Christmas message to the Empire-Commonwealth from Government House, Auckland.

December 23, 1953

Royal limousine on queen street, auckland.

It was a drizzly day in Auckland as the royal yacht, SS Gothic, docked just six months after the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Graham Stewart, a young photographer covering the “second coming”, remembers her walking down in a “cool lime green summer frock and hat”.

The skies cleared as she touched New Zealand, when the royal salute shot from cannons and church bells rang out around town.

The royal limousine drives up Queen Street, Auckland, to the civic reception on the morning of the Queen’s arrival.

In an open-topped car, the Queen and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, travelled up Queen St, where it seemed the whole city had turned out in their finery to watch and cheer.

That first day, the couple shook an estimated 300 hands.

Children wait in well-regimented rows during the youth gathering on the Domain, Auckland.

December 24, 1953

Auckland domain.

Christmas Eve kicked off with a visit to Auckland Hospital followed by a youth gathering at Auckland Domain.

Caroline Woon was there with her marching band and shared her memories with nzhistory.govt.nz: “While we were waiting, my Scots friend, also about 18, sat and explained to me why she as a Scot would not, could not, feel excited about Elizabeth as she was not, in reality, her Queen let alone Queen Elizabeth II as true Scots had never even recognised the first Elizabeth.

“Finally, Elizabeth arrived and I saw her look back at us as Philip said – and you could see what he was saying – “Who are they?” – and her reply that we were “marching teams”. Unheard of in Britain and at that time unique to New Zealand.

“I can only think that that conversation between them had the effect of unleashing some sort of latent emotion because my Scots chum emitted what can only be described as a throaty roar of patriotism, wonderful in its intensity and then charged like a wounded bull out of our designated area, trying to barge like an All Black through another block of people in front to get even closer.”

10:21pm Tangiwai railway disaster

At 10:21pm the day would take a dark twist when the Wellington to Auckland night express plunged into the Whangaehu River at Tangiwai, killing 151 of the 285 on board.

The wreckage of the Wellington-Auckland night express which plunged into the flooded Whangaehu River on Christmas Eve, 1953.

December 25, 1953

New Zealand awoke to news of the Tangiwai disaster.

At Himatangi, a small settlement by the Manawatū coast, half-a-dozen young radio technicians cancelled their Christmas plans for a very special job. It was their job to transmit the Queen’s Christmas message, from Government House in Auckland, to the world.

The anxious wait - had it been received out there? - lasted more than 100 minutes. No cups of tea, no cigarettes, as they waited to hear back from Australia, North America, United Kingdom. Success, and the young technicians gathered in Himatangi Hall that Christmas Day could finally relax.

The Queen’s Christmas broadcast began: “Last Christmas I spoke to you from England. This year I am doing so from New Zealand. Auckland, which I reached only two days ago, is, I suppose as far as any city in the world from London and I have travelled some thousands of miles through many changing scenes and climates on my voyage here.”

The Queen would finish with a message of sympathy “to my people in New Zealand”, directly addressing the Tangiwai disaster, for which she would later attend a state funeral in Wellington.

Racegoers prefer to watch the royal couple rather than the horses during the Auckland Racing Club’s meeting at Ellerslie.

December 26, 1953

At the races.

Outside Auckland’s St James Theatre where the Queen and Duke were due for a Royal premiere, wheelchair-user Anne Ballin was spotted by a police officer among the pressing crowds. Concerned that she would get hurt, the officer wheeled Anne into the foyer where she waited four hours but was not disappointed.

“It was my first glimpse of the Queen but I saw her at her best.”

Earlier in the day, the royal couple had been to the races at Ellerslie.

December 27, 1953

Sunday, a day of church and relaxation.

The Queen, escorted by E.B. Corbett, the Minister for Maori Affairs, is welcomed to Waitangi by Māori kuia.

December 28, 1953

Queen’s visit to waitangi.

The area around Waitangi, in the Bay of Islands, had previously been the scene of tension between Māori and Pākehā. And it certainly would be again.

But on this summer’s day as 1953 neared its end, nearly 114 years after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, the sun shone and newspaper reports detailed the happy mixed-race crowd gathered in adulation.

“Symbolic of the amity between the races were New Zealand and English trees planted alongside the marae. Their branches mingled and provided on the ground below sufficient shade to protect several thousand people from the sun’s rays.”

While the unnamed author may have had sun protection knowledge ahead of his time, his racial diplomacy was somewhat lacking: “The Māori [performer] was not at his best and it was a disappointing round off to an otherwise glorious day.”

December 29, 1953

Jessie McKenzie, 100, was one of New Zealand’s few surviving original settlers and so it seemed somewhat appropriate she would meet Her Royal Highness. The Whangarei local - who had been born aboard a ship from Nova Scotia to New Zealand - was meant to meet the Queen at a Civic Reception in Waiwera. But after breaking her leg, she instead met the royals at their hotel. Local papers called the visit “the most glorious 15 minutes” in a century.

King Korokī greets Queen Elizabeth II at Tūrangawaewae.

December 30, 1953

Queen at tūrangawaewae.

History was made at Ngāruawāhia as the Queen was given the protection and goodwill of the local iwi’s gods, with the chant from the chief:

Foreboding and dreadfully envisaged was the far flung sky above! In anger it raged; In embattled array did it strive; The earth quaked; The heavens quivered! Nought stood upright beneath the shattering blast; The piercing south wind did blow! We grasped the big axe; the renowned axe; the long-handled axe; The axe that did rend asunder the great tree of the forest. We stroke forth boldly and struck the base of the sky that stands above! And it fell! It expired! Cease now, O thou east wind! Cease now, O thou south wind! The murmuring breeze will sigh o’r the land; The stormy and boisterous sea will subside; And the crimson morn will come with a sharpened air… A touch of frost… Ah, this the promise of a glorious day! The rising up. Who wielded the sacred axe? Then the gathered crowd: The tribes united! Chief: Remain united! All: Aye, forever! Aye, forever! Chief: Sneeze lustily! ‘Tis the eternal life principle! ‘Tis the world of life; ‘Tis the world of light! Let the calm be widespread! Let the sea glisten like the pounamu! And let the shimmer of summer dance across your pathway. It is ended!

It is not clear what the young Queen made of it all.

The Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Philip) attends the funeral at Karori Cemetery, Wellington, on 31 December 1953 for 21 victims of the Tangiwai tragedy.

December 31, 1953

1953 had been a big year for the Queen, losing her father and taking the throne. It ended with a bit of a whimper as the Queen and Duke spent a quiet night at the Waitomo Hotel. Members of the Royal entourage gathered in the main lounge and quietly sang Auld Lang Syne .

January 1, 1954

The first day of 1954 was spent on the road travelling from Hamilton to the quiet shores of Lake Rotoiti.

Virtually every farm gate, every road junction, and every village and town was decorated and an estimated 100,000 people turned out to catch a glimpse. “There was scarcely a moment during the long journey when the royal party was out of sight of cheering and waving people,” The Dominion reported.

“They brought babies in arms and sometimes their dogs, cats, and pet lambs as well. Even the lambs were decked out in red, white, and blue.”

The Duke of Edinburgh receives a gift during the Māori reception at Rotorua while Minister of Maori Affairs E.B. Corbett looks on.

January 2, 1954

Reception at rotorua.

A day in Rotorua for civic duties which were followed by a Māori reception at Arawa Park.

The royal couple watch children dive for coins at Whakarewarewa, Rotorua.

January 3, 1954

Royal couple at whakarewarewa.

The Queen’s mother and and father, then as Duke and Duchess of York, had visited the Te Arawa Marae in Rotorua in 1927. In fact, every royal family member to visit New Zealand had been there. But this day in 1954, Her Royal Highness broke new ground as she became the first woman ever to speak on the marae.

January 4 & 5, 1954

Two days free from official engagements as the royals relaxed at Moose Lodge, Lake Rotoiti.

January 6, 1954

The show got back on the road, passing through Gisborne - where crowds lined the streets everywhere - and on to Napier.

There, Pani Waipu, 5, was allowed out of hospital for the first time in three years for the royal visit. The boy had a critical spine condition and had spent years suspended upside down in an iron frame. He had one wish: to meet the Queen. He was among the crowd in the front row as the Queen got to Napier’s McLean Park. His eyes never left the stage and his face lit up as he waved and waved.

James Wattie explains the production line at his cannery in Hastings.

January 7, 1954

Watties factory visit.

The day started with a trip to the J Wattie Canneries in Hastings, where Mr Wattie showed the confounded-looking Queen the workings of his cannery.

Fresh from all the excitement Hastings could offer, the Queen boarded a train for a trip through to Palmerston North, stopping along the way.

Rona Gleeson, 6, stood in her best smocked dress with a bow in her hair among a group of children at Woodville's Railway Station, waiting to see the Queen.

“We were lined up alongside the railway platform with a little Union Jack flag in hand. Every child was given one and instructed to wave it when the train arrived.

“I was with the little ones at the edge of the platform. The train was a red one as I recall, it huffed and puffed into the station and a long line of folk walked the length of the platform … then it puffed and huffed off to Palmerston North.”

Little Rona didn't realise that the woman at the centre of the long line of folk, without her crown and ermine robes, was the Queen.

“Along with most children of that time, we had seen many pictures of the coronation … the coaches, the processions, the pageantry and glitter - and that I expected, in Woodville.”

At Palmerston North, Robyn Tremaine walked to the edge of the rotunda to present a bouquet. The Queen was at the top, the young girl at the bottom. Images of Muhammad and the mountain, leapt to one scribe’s mind. The Queen looked at Robyn and Robyn looked at the Queen. Then, with a quick smile, the Queen walked down and an awkward situation was saved.

January 8, 1954

The Queen is greeted by local dignitaries in Marton.

New Zealand spread out before HRH this midsummer day as the Queen travelled from Palmerston North, to Feilding, to Marton, to Whanganui, Patea, Hāwera, Stratford, and finally New Plymouth.

Queen Elizabeth II meeting the Stratford stationmaster, Jack Scott.

Judith Foy, a young teacher, and cub leader in Hāwera, told nzhistory.govt.nz: “The streets chosen [for the visit] had some very unsightly buildings and the powers that be who arrange these things decided something had to be done to cover these sights from royal eyes. Every school child set about making paper flowers in red, white and blue crepe paper. These were gathered and hung on these.”

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh watch butter being taken from a churn in the Bell Block Co-operative Dairy Factory, New Plymouth.

January 9, 1954

New plymouth butter.

The day began with more rural New Zealand - a visit to the Bell Block Dairy Factory - before the Queen and Duke flew to Paraparaumu Airport.

Crowds of children welcome the royal couple at the civic reception in Pukekura Park, New Plymouth.

Cabbage tree leaves, kiwi, a farewell in te reo and the New Zealand and Union Jack flags decorate the royal route out of New Plymouth.

Crowds lined the roads to Wellington and holiday-makers in Raumati and Paraparaumu turned out in bathing trunks. A crowd of 2000 mobbed the Royal Daimler on Hutt Rd. In Wellington, Lambton Quay was decked with flowers and bunting and a crowd singing Tipperary and A Bicycle Built for Two .

As the procession made its way to the Town Hall - “too swiftly, many thought”, the Evening Post noted - the crowds followed for a second, or even third glimpse.

January 10, 1954

The official programme said the Queen and Duke would attend a service at the Cathedral Church of St Paul then head straight to Government House, but there was a secret engagement. They were spotted going into the grounds of Parliament, where they were rehearsing for the upcoming opening. A large crowd gathered outside in the pouring rain for 40 minutes before the Queen came hurrying down the stairs to the waiting royal Daimler. All they got was a wave through the window as the car sped away.

January 11, 1954

A red carpet stretched from Wellington’s Opera House doors and across the footpath for a civic reception. Crowds eagerly awaited in the driving rain opposite and a tall, smiling policeman walked up and down edging them back before Her Majesty’s arrival.

Earlier, the Queen and Duke visited the Ford factory in Lower Hutt and the Duke was particularly interested in the engine assembly.

“What do you take away when you are finished,” he asked one worker, smiling.

“Nothing, Your Royal Highness,” the worker replied, “they won’t let us.

Prime Minister Sidney Holland hands the Queen the vellum copy of her Speech from the Throne at Parliament, Wellington, 12 January 1954.

January 12, 1954

Opening parliament.

About 36,000 children and their parents packed Athletic Park in Newtown, Wellington to see the Queen. Gwen Parsons was an 8-year-old pupil at St Patrick's in Kilbirnie. The whole school turned out for the visit.

“They drove in, in the back of an open jeep, and waved. We were all very excited and thought it was great. I wouldn't turn out to see her now for all the tea in China,” she said years later.

The Queen, wearing her coronation robes, enters Parliament Buildings, Wellington, to open the special session of Parliament.

Later in the day the Queen, in her Coronation dress, an ermine stole, the Order of the Garter and a tiara, opened a session in Parliament. Lasting just seven minutes, it would go down in history as the shortest session of Parliament ever held in New Zealand.

January 13, 1954

The Queen laid the foundation stone for what would become Wellington’s Anglican cathedral. The Dominion opined: “This is indeed an occasion for rejoicing. The spiritual import of it reaches far beyond the reaches of Wellington itself to the Church throughout the country, and to all the people.” It was also noted money still needed to be found to build the rest of the Cathedral.

January 14, 1954

Upper hutt welcome.

The royal car is greeted by crowds in Upper Hutt.

The Queen, a well-known lover of horse-racing, headed out to Trentham, Upper Hutt for the Royal Wellington Cup.

Jockey Jack Garth rode five-year-old Golden Tan to the front at the post to take the win. In the birdcage, the Queen picked up the cup and turned it around in her hands for a few admiring moments before, smiling, presenting the trophy, to the horse’s owner.

“Three cheers for her Royal Highness and the Duke of Edinburgh,” the club president called, and the vast crowd responded. Garth was later asked what the Queen had said to him. “I can hardly remember what she said,” he admitted. “It was all so wonderful.”

January 15, 1954

After days in the relatively-cosmopolitan capital, the royal couple headed to Wairarapa. Helen Turner remembered the couple arriving in Masterton: “As a pupil at Wairarapa College at the time, and although it was the school holidays and summer, we were asked to don our winter uniforms, which were obviously considered tidier than our summer uniforms.”

A Blenheim family with a good ‘possie’ in the main square whiles away the time until the Queen’s arrival with a game of cards.

January 16, 1954

The South Island beckoned, first by plane to the Air Force base in Woodbourne and then car to Blenheim and Nelson.

Some 5000 children from far and wide gathered in Nelson’s Trafalgar Park. The royal car made a sudden stop when a little girl in blue - Rosalie Marritt of Hampden St School - stepped forward with a bouquet of pink carnations. Her Majesty took the bouquet and said, “Thank you, my dear”, and the procession moved on.

A huge crown dwarfs the royal couple as they walk down the steps in front of Nelson Cathedral.

On the Cathedral steps, as the mayor spoke, a shaggy black and white sheep dog jumped onto the balcony, causing hilarity among the crowd. Then as the mayor called for applause for the Queen, the shaggy dog sprang into view as it leaped onto the Duke’s chair. The dog was awarded with a pat on the head from the Duke as he left.

January 17, 1954

The South Island’s West Coast was fizzing with excitement to such an extent that, in preparation, one side of the road from Hokitika to Greymouth was resealed, nzhistory.net.nz says. That side of the road was for years after known as “Lizzie’s Side”.

The Queen speaking at an open-air function in Greymouth.

Pat Jamieson: “I was 11 years old and the Queen and Duke were driving down High Street in Greymouth. The crowds were very thick and I wiggled to the front just as their car was passing, the Queen smiled at me and I was hooked. An instant avid royalist. I then ran alongside the car for about half a mile at which time the Duke of Edinburgh looked across and said, ‘If you run much further, you will burst’. Well I was just totally blown away. That evening practically the entire population was gathered outside Revington’s Hotel where the royal couple were staying, calling ‘We want the Queen’. Then as soon as everything went quiet this little 11-year-old stood and yelled at the top of her voice. ‘I want the Duke’. The Royal Couple came out onto the balcony and waved and the crowd went wild, especially me - I was totally convinced the Duke only came out because I called for him to do so.”

January 18, 1954

The South Island got eaten, initially by the Queen but finished off by the local children. Granted, it was not the actual South Island, but it was near enough. A Christchurch firm had supplied an ice cream cake crowned with a map of the South Island, complete with miniature lakes and mountains, the railway system, and each stop on the tour marked out. The pair were so delighted that, after their luncheon, the cake - map unimpaired - was sent to the train station where the crowd of about 200, half of them children, got to finish it off.

January 19, 1954

Finally, came Christchurch’s time to shine. At the Cathedral, 1200 made it inside while another 5000 listened to the service through a public address service outside.

The Queen said: “It is abundantly clear that the people of Christchurch lack none of the enterprise and industry of their stout-hearted forebears who founded this beautiful city and who played their part in developing the country in which it stands.”

It was unclear if the “enterprise” she was talking of was the display that day at the Disabled Servicemen’s Vocational Training Centre of an armless man who, for 15 minutes, showed the royal couple how he could shave, eat a meal of meat and vegetables, drink from a cup, and type a letter.

January 20, 1954

Anne Roberts, 10, in a cool blue dress, stood with 7-year-old Michael Hard on Brougham St, Christchurch, as the royal procession moved towards them. As she clutched a bouquet of carnations and roses, it looked for a moment as if the car wasn’t going to stop. Anne stretched out one hand and asked the queen, “wait a minute”. Her Royal Highness obliged.

January 21, 1954

It was on this day that complaints emerged that then-Prime Minister Sidney Holland confirmed he had received complaints about the speed the cars carrying the Queen and Duke through crowds. People were miffed they didn’t have enough time to lay eyes on the Royals.

Holland responded: “I have given instructions that for the remainder of the tour every effort should be made to slow down as much as possible to give people every opportunity of seeing our Royal guests.”

That day the Queen - in a fitted coat of soft pervenche blue grosgrain over a frock of matching blue and white spotted silk, with a pleated panel on the front of her skirt - went with the Duke, in a dark brown lounge suit, to the trots at Addington.

January 22, 1954

Crowds turned out early to catch the Royal couple all the way along the drive to Burnham Military Camp. Every lamppost along Riccarton Rd displayed some sort of show of loyalty as the Queen and Duke headed towards the deep south. But first was a weekend of rest at Longbeach.

January 23, 1954

As the royal cars passed through Rakaia, Her Royal Highness spotted little Heather Ashford, 5, clutching a bunch of gladioli. The car stopped, the window came down, and the Queen lent out to get the flowers from the young girl, who was held aloft by the local vicar’s wife.

January 24, 1954

A Sunday, the day of our Lord, and the 30 worshippers at the tiny historic chapel at Longbeach had a very special guest. For the Queen and Duke, there was a reason to take special note. The chapel was then almost a century old. It had been the first church on the Canterbury Plains when it was built in 1855.

The most famous and fêted railway station visitors were touring members of the British royal family. Here, the young Queen Elizabeth II poses on the observation platform of her royal car at Timaru.

January 25, 1954

There was no award given for the newspaper headline of the tour but, if there had been, it surely would have gone to that day’s Dominion . “The Queen Wears Coat,” it proclaimed. Evidently, as the Queen’s train neared Dunedin, onlookers were decked out in scarves and overcoats despite being amid a summer’s month. “When the Queen alighted in the city she wore a light coat over her summer suit.” You read it here first, unless, of course, you read it then.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are welcomed by local children at Palmerston.

Yvette Williams in mid-air during a long jump at Carisbrook Park, Dunedin, in front of Queen Elizabeth II and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

January 26, 1954

The collective sigh reached around the 33,000 spectators at Carisbrook. A royal “oh” was even uttered from the Royal lips. This was when New Zealand long-jumper Yvette Williams jumped a record-equalling 20 feet, six inches but got a “no jump”.

12,000 children greet the Queen at Forbury Park, Dunedin.

January 27, 1954

Sir Edmund Hillary had, the year before, already climbed Mt Everest but a New Zealand Himalayan expedition was heading out again and two of its members - Colin Todd and Brian Wilkins - were at a Royal reception of sports people at Dunedin.

Some sportsmen at the reception gave the Duke a copy of New Zealand from N to Z, which was described as a “popular and pleasant piece of frivolity” about inter-island rivalry written by Carl Smith of Dunedin.

“This will put New Zealand into true perspective,” the Duke was told then, as an afterthought: “Perhaps it would be better if his Royal Highness reads it after he leaves us.”

January 28, 1954

The Queen’s yacht, the Gothic, was already tied up in Bluff, ready to take Her Royal Highness towards home this day in 1953. Dunedin’s goodbye line-up of people had stretched 11km from the city earlier in the day and 223km on in Invercargill the southern province was ready to embrace them.At each town they passed through, the entire population seemingly turned out and the crowds thickened as the cars neared Invercargill.

A huge crowd in the main street of Invercargill as the royal entourage arrives at the Grand Hotel.

At the Grand Hotel, as the royal couple got out of the car, the crowd surged but the couple got in safely. The other cars in the procession had to wait to get through till the Duke and Queen appeared on the balcony to rapturous applause. They came out again and waved at 8pm then, to a still-large crowd, as dusk turned towards night at 9.45pm.

January 29, 1954

A bumble bee met an unruffled Queen in Invercargill as she addressed the large crowd at a civic reception at Queen’s Park.

As it hovered within inches of her face, Invercargill Mayor Adam Adamson flew into action, newspapers reported. “[He] made a wild sweep with his hand while the crowd held its breath. The motion of the mayor’s hand was sufficient to frighten the bee away and there was a gasp of relief from the crowd. At no sign during the incident did the Queen show that there was anything amiss.”

Also that night, the Queen transmitted a national broadcast to New Zealand in which she said her and her husband had enjoyed “every minute” of their stay.

January 30, 1954

The Queen, along with the Duke, sailed out of Bluff. It was said 75 percent of New Zealand had seen the couple during their 40-day visit. They had travelled more than 2000 kilometres by car, 1200km by plane and 960km by train.

January 31, 1954

Leaving new zealand.

The SS Gothic made an unscheduled visit to Milford Sound.

The royal visitors’ last sojourn in New Zealand waters was spent in Milford Sound.

Queen Elizabeth II would visit New Zealand another nine times during her long reign over the Commonwealth - in 1963, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1981, 1986, 1990, 1995 and 2002.

Queen Elizabeth II tours NZ

A DigitalNZ Story by Zokoroa

A pictorial remembrance of Queen Elizabeth II's ten royal tours to NZ from 1953 to 2002 - the first reigning British monarch to visit Aotearoa.

Queen , Queen Elizabeth II , Monarchy , Government , Royalty , Parliament

Queen Elizabeth II (born 21 April 1926) became New Zealand’s sixth British monarch on 6 February 1952, following the death of her father, King George VI.  She was the first reigning British monarch to visit New Zealand, which occurred over the ‘royal summer’ of 1953-1954. The Queen and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, have visited New Zealand ten times, with their last tour taking place in 2002 during her Golden (50th) Jubilee. Queen Elizabeth is the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum (70th) Jubilee, an historic milestone which she reached in 2022. Seven years previously, she had surpassed the record of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria (1819-1901), who had reigned for over 63 years from 20 June 1837- 22 Jan 1901. It was announced by Buckingham Palace on 8 September 2022 that Queen Elizabeth had passed away that afternoon at Balmoral Castle aged 96. 

23 Dec 1853 - 30 Jan 1954: First visit to NZ from a reigning British monarch

Queen Elizabeth II (born 21 April 1926) became NZ's 6th British monarch since 1840 Treaty of Waitangi on 6 Feb 1952

Auckland Libraries

The Queen's Commonwealth tour from Nov 1953-May 1954 included the West Indies, Australasia, Asia & Africa

The Royal Tour of New Zealand 1953 - 54

NZ On Screen

Queen Elizabeth's Christmas message included the news of the Tangiwai train disaster on Christmas eve

Queen Elizabeth reads the Christmas message, 1953

Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage

The Queen also opened 31st NZ Parliament on 12 Jan (a role usually carried out by her Governor-General)

Queen Elizabeth II at Parliament Buildings for the ceremonial opening of Parliament, Royal Tour 1953-1954

Alexander Turnbull Library

6–18 February 1963: The Queen attended celebrations at Waitangi & also opened Parliament

The Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council was established as a gift to the Queen

Queen Elizabeth II and the arts council charter, 1963

12–30 March 1970: The Queen participated in the James Cook bicentenary celebrations & also opened Parliament

Māwai Hakona 1970; Gisborne; royal visit and Cook bicentenary celebration.

Upper Hutt City Library

Visit, HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip, 1970

Massey University

The Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles & Princess Anne, opened 36th NZ Parliament

Visit of Queen Elizabeth II, opening of Parliament and visit to Wellington Hospital

Princess Anne & her then husband, Captain Mark Phillips, & Prince Charles accompanied the Queen & the Duke

Princess Anne greeting equestrian riders, New Plymouth

The Queen also opened Parliament and attended the New Zealand Day events at Waitangi

New Zealand Day at Waitangi

Māwai Hakona 1974; at Waitangi for New Zealand Day; Royal Yacht in background.

22 Feb – 7 March 1977: Visited as part of a Commonwealth tour to mark the Queen’s Silver (25th) Jubilee & opened Beehive

Palmerston North City Library

Queen Elizabeth II with Scouts

Royal visit, 1977

South Canterbury Museum

The Queen also officially opened the new Beehive on 28 Feb

Queen Elizabeth II opening the Beehive, 1977

Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

12–20 October 1981: The Queen visited following a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Melbourne

Air Force Museum of New Zealand

JSPRO52-17-81

JSPRO52-13-81

The 1981 Royal Variety Performance was held at the Theatre Royal at Drury Lane in front of the Queen

1981 Royal Variety Performance

22 February – 2 March 1986: The Queen visited as part of a tour to Nepal and Australia, & also opened Parliament

Queen Elizabeth in Napier 1986

Hawke's Bay Knowledge Bank

1–16 February 1990: The Queen closed the Commonwealth Games in Auckland & also opened Parliament

The Queen also participated in events marking the sesquicentennial of the Treaty of Waitangi

Queen Elizabeth II at Waitangi, 1990

Sesquicentennial demonstration, Queen Street, 1990

New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

1–10 November 1995: The Queen attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Auckland

PD211-14-95

Queen Elizabeth the Second and supporters, Wellington.

22–27 February 2002: The Queen's last visit to NZ was as part of the commemoration of her Golden (50th) Jubilee

In 2022, the Queen celebrated her Platinum (70th) Jubilee. She'd surpassed 63-year reign of Queen Victoria in Sept 2015.

On 8 Sept 2022 , Queen Elizabeth passed away at Balmoral Castle aged 96

NZ marked the passing of Queen Elizabeth II with a State Memorial Service & one-off public holiday on Mon 26 Sept

Source :  'Royal tours', URL: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/queen-elizabeth/royal-tours , (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 4-Feb-2022  

Queen Elizabeth's 1970 Visit To New Zealand And Australia Forever Changed Royal Customs

The history of the British monarchy dates back over a thousand years. During that millenia the kingdom's monarchs fought many wars, restructured their government, and developed their own traditions. It is arguably those traditions that have made the British royal family one of the most recognizable figureheads in the world. But, it was not until the 20th century that some of these customs began to change.

Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1952 and became the first woman to rule the United Kingdom since her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria over a century earlier, (per  All That's Interesting ). Over her decades-long reign, Queen Elizabeth II became a beloved figure amongst her subjects and many others from all over the world. Part of the reason for this was her willingness to occasionally break with royal tradition and attempt to modernize the monarchy. One day in 1970, her ability to do this would change the face of British royal customs forever.

Queen Elizabeth II Started The Royal Walkabout

As a royal figure, the queen and the royal family did not really intermingle with their subjects, with the exception of their public appearances. Until the latter part of the 1990s, the general population would only see the royals above them on a balcony or maybe through a car window if they were lucky, according to Insider . However, a couple of decades before, Queen Elizabeth II laid the foundation for what would become a new tradition.

In 1970, the queen took a tour of Australia and New Zealand, and while on this trip she decided to break protocol. Instead of keeping her distance from the people that had come to catch a glimpse of her, she decided to meet them on foot instead. This practice was reportedly initiated to help the royals connect with more of the ordinary folks instead of the other politicians or other officials they normally interact with. According to Harper's Bazaar, since the first royal walkabout more than 50 years ago, this custom has been practiced by others in the royal family, including Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, and the iconic Princess Diana .

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The 1970 royal tour of New Zealand by Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and Princess Anne.

Commentary of the unveiling of the Cook Memorial Medallion in Parliament grounds by Bill Toft.

The state opening of Parliament by the Queen on March 13, 1970.

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What to Know About Repositioning Cruises — Unique, One-way, Extended Itineraries That Can Be a Steal

Here's how to tell if a repositioning cruise is right for you.

What is a repositioning cruise?

Where do repositioning cruises go, and how long are they, what happens on a repositioning cruise, when do repositioning cruises happen, are repositioning cruises cheaper, 5 repositioning cruises to book now.

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As I stepped off the pier and onto my ship in Ushuaia, Argentina, it dawned on me that this was the last time I'd be on continental land for nearly three weeks. Lindblad Expeditions' National Geographic Explorer was about to ferry me across the South Atlantic, all the way to Cape Town. Now that is a cruise.

In fact, it was a very specific type of cruise known as a repositioning cruise, or a "repo." Repositioning cruises do exactly what their name entails — they reposition a ship from one place to another. In the case of my sailing, National Geographic Explorer had just wrapped up a season in Antarctica and was scheduled for a stint in Africa. So, the ship sailed a repositioning cruise to get from one region to the other, bringing along a handful of intrepid travelers.

Read on to find out everything you need to know about repositioning cruises.

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Repositioning cruises reposition cruise ships — it's as simple as that. But to understand why cruise ships need to be repositioned, you have to look at how most cruise lines operate their vessels.

Generally speaking, cruise ships don't just crisscross the world on a series of one-way trips, sailing from A to B, then B to C, then C to D, and so on. Most ships spend months at a time "homeported" at a specific cruise port, such as Miami or New Orleans, or sometimes in a general region, like the Mediterranean. Then for the duration of a season, they'll sail either an identical itinerary or perhaps a few similar itineraries. Take, for instance, a cruise that's homeported in Miami for the winter. That ship might sail Eastern or Western Caribbean itineraries for a few months, but not necessarily the entire year.

"Due to weather and seasonality, most cruise ships don’t stay in the same geographic area for an entire year. They therefore must reposition from one region to another — and those cruises are referred to as repositioning cruises," Travel + Leisure A-List Advisor Rob Clabbers , president of Q Cruise + Travel, tells T+L . "For example, a ship that sails summers in Alaska may spend the winter in the Caribbean; and therefore will reposition in the fall to go from Alaska via the West Coast and the Panama Canal to the Caribbean, then back in the spring."

Depending on the route, cruise lines might choose to reposition ships without guests onboard. In that case, the crew might spend the time deep cleaning and performing maintenance on the vessel. But repositioning cruises still use a lot of expensive fuel, so many cruise lines opt to open them up to guests to help offset that cost — or even turn a profit, if they're lucky. From the guest perspective, you get to sail a non-traditional itinerary, which could take you to less-visited destinations. In my case, we ventured to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the extremely remote Tristan da Cunha, a tiny volcanic island in the middle of the Atlantic that's only accessible by ship.

Janice Chen/Getty Images

Clabbers shares some common repositioning routes below, but repositioning cruises can happen pretty much anywhere in the world. There is one rule for all repositioning cruises: They must be one-way.

• Between Mediterranean and South Asia: Traditionally via the Suez Canal, but more recently around the tip of South Africa.
• Between Antarctic and Arctic polar regions: Via the coasts of the Americas (might include an expedition onto the Amazon); or in some cases via the coast of Africa and Europe.
• Between Alaska and Japan: Via the North Pacific.
• Between North America and Australia/South Pacific: Via Hawaii and French Polynesia to Australia and New Zealand.
• Between Europe and North America: Via the Atlantic, which may also mean from the British Isles via Iceland and Greenland to Canada for the Canada/New England season in the late summer/fall.
• Between Alaska and the Caribbean: Via the West Coast and the Panama Canal.

As for how long repositioning cruises are, that varies. "Repositioning cruises, such as transatlantic sailings, are generally longer than a 'standard' seven-night itinerary and will include more sea days, as they have to cross a larger distance," says Clabbers.

But some repositioning cruises might be broken up into shorter segments. In the instance of a ship repositioning from Alaska to the Caribbean, there may be a West Coast sailing followed by a Central America sailing that transits the Panama Canal. While you could stack the two journeys to create one long cruise, you could also book it in shorter segments.

It all depends on where you're sailing. "Depending on the part of the world, the ships stop at fewer ports of call and/or stop in ports that are somewhat unusual because of their location," T+L A-List Advisor Olga Placeres, president of Preferred Travel & Co, tells T+L. She points to transatlantic cruises as an example — they have numerous sea days, but they also might stop in remote places like the Azores.

If you're repositioning on a mega ship , you'll likely get to fully immerse yourself in all the amenities that the ship has to offer. My transatlantic repositioning cruise was on a tiny expedition ship, which meant that the focus of our programming was education and adventure, so our sea days were filled with lectures and wildlife spotting — and plenty of time for contemplation.

Repositioning cruises can happen at any time of year, but most occur in the spring and fall, which are traditionally shoulder seasons for cruises. Some cruises use seasonality to their advantage. For example, when ships are repositioning from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean in the fall, they'll take advantage of fall foliage in the Northeast U.S. and Canada.

The short answer: It depends on demand. And demand depends on the itinerary and the size of the ship. "More unique itineraries — through the Panama Canal, or along some of the more unusual/off-the-beaten-path islands in the South Pacific — can be very high in demand, which is reflected in the fares," says Clabbers.

But not all repositioning itineraries appeal to the mass market, and cruise lines may struggle to fill the ship. "Fewer travelers enjoy a crossing with many sea days. Most guests wish to see ports, not only the ocean," says Placeres. "Weather is another factor — crossings can be rough, and you need to be a good sailor to enjoy a bumpy voyage." In those cases, demand can be low, and therefore prices (when broken down per day) can also be comparatively low.

Generally speaking, however, many repositioning cruises are, in fact, cheaper than more traditional week-long sailings. "There are many ships that sail from the Caribbean to Europe in the spring, including some of the larger contemporary cruise ships. That means there is quite a bit of capacity at a wide range of attractive fares each year for those that would like to travel between the continents," says Clabbers. "These cruises can be quite affordable, especially when looking at it from a per-day perspective. In addition, with fewer ports of call, the taxes and port charges may be lower, too."

Celebrity Cruises

17-night Fiji Transpacific on Celebrity Solstice

Departs April 9, 2025

Sail across the South Pacific on a grand adventure from Sydney to Honolulu. While there are nine days at sea, there are quite a few special ports of call on this itinerary, including Loyalty Island in New Caledonia, Mystery Island in Vanuatu, two Fijian islands, Apia in Samoa, Pago Pago in American Samoa, and Kailua-Kona in Hawaii.

Royal Caribbean

16-night Tokyo to Los Angeles on Ovation of the Seas

Departs May 15, 2025

Get your sea legs ready. Though this cruise does call at a few ports in Japan, plus an extra day in Los Angeles, it'll spend most of its time at sea. Fortunately, the massive ship has plenty onboard to keep you entertained, from a skydiving simulator to a spa to more than two dozen restaurants.

Holland America

18-day Voyage of the Vikings on Zuiderdam

Departs Aug. 5, 2025

If you're looking to take a repositioning cruise that doesn't have too many days at sea, this itinerary connecting Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Boston is for you. There are only six sea days, with the bulk of the itinerary including ports across Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, and Canada.

22-day Southern Atlantic Crossing on Viking Jupiter

Departs Nov. 8, 2025

Can you brave three weeks at sea? Viking's sailing from Barcelona to Buenos Aires includes a brief stint in the Mediterranean and a call in Casablanca, Morocco, before taking to the Atlantic. To break up the week-long transatlantic portion of the voyage, Viking Jupiter will visit São Vicente Island (Mindelo), Cape Verde. And it'll wrap up with a week sailing the coast of South America.

Virgin Voyages

16-night Panama Canal and Pacific Wonders on Brilliant Lady

Departs March 21, 2026

Sail through the iconic Panama Canal on this journey from Miami to Los Angeles on this well-paced voyage. There are never more than three sea days in a row, with ports like Cartagena, Colombia; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico breaking up the journey.

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