Royals

Meghan and Harry awestruck by incredible haka on final day of epic tour

Oct 31, 2018

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex wear traditional Maori cloaks called Korowai during a visit to Rotorua, New Zealand. Source: Getty

The Duke and the Duchess of Sussex were left awestruck as they were greeted by a rousing haka on the shores of Lake Rotorua, New Zealand on Wednesday.

Before they fly back to London, the royal couple are spending the last day of their 16-day Commonwealth tour in the central North Island town for a formal luncheon in their honour. Upon their arrival at Te Papaiouru, Ohinemutu, in Rotorua, they were greeted by a spectacular pōwhiri, which is a traditional Māori welcoming ceremony involving speeches, dancing and singing.

The Haka Pōwhiri performance clearly had an impact on the duke and duchess as they stood together in the square watching the powerful performance.

Watch this. Just incredible. #royaltour pic.twitter.com/AuLfYBzJwl

— Ursula Heger (@ursulaheger) October 30, 2018

Earlier, the couple were gifted traditional Māori feathered cloaks, with Meghan’s featuring special touches honouring her impending motherhood and the significance of female ancestors.

Underneath the beautiful cloak, Meghan, 37, wore a long-sleeve navy dress by Stella McCartney (the same designer of her wedding reception dress). She also wore a traditional jade necklace, which was gifted to her by New Zealand’s Governor General Patsy Reddy upon the royals’ arrival on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry, 34, sported a smart grey suit, with his military medals pinned to his chest, for the momentous occasion.

Prince Harry and Meghan are spending the last day of their 16-day Commonwealth tour in Rotorua, New Zealand. Source: Getty

Prince Harry and Meghan are spending the last day of their 16-day Commonwealth tour in Rotorua, New Zealand. During the ceremony, Harry delivered a touching speech where he spoke of the “joys” of meeting “so many young New Zealanders” during their trip.

“There are creative, gifted and caring Te Aarawa Rangatahi (young people) here, who are using their talents to preserve and promote the Māori language, to support mental wellbeing, and to achieve in areas that will benefit their communities and their country,” he told the crowd.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex then moved to watch the Haka Pōwhiri, the Dance of Welcome, outside the Wharenui. #RoyalVisitNZ pic.twitter.com/tTWF6WZ6cl

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) October 31, 2018

He then led a song, singing all of the words to ‘Te Aroha’ in Māori. The royal couple then chatted with a long line of school children who has been waiting patiently to catch a glimpse of the royals, before heading to a luncheon.

The royals have enjoyed a busy few days in New Zealand. On Tuesday, Harry and Meghan braved the heavy downpour as they arrived at Redvale on Auckland’s north shore to take part in a ‘welly wanging’ contest – a classic New Zealand game where contestants compete to see who can fling a gumboot the furthest.

The royal couple started their epic 16-day Commonwealth tour in Sydney, and kicked off the 2018 Invictus Games before spending a few days in Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand.