Prince Harry is greeted with a hongi at the Quake City museum exhibition in Christchurch. Photo / FairfaxNZ
Prince Harry is greeted with a hongi at the Quake City museum exhibition in Christchurch. Photo / FairfaxNZ
Harry has taken a shine to owning his own pounamu and Sir Jerry's gift will grant his wish.
He first admired it last month at Gallipoli during a kapa haka presentation and asked how he might purchase one, but was told it was not culturally de rigueur.
Now Prince Harry will receive his own pounamu taonga, a private gift from the Governor-General, and "it will be very specialfor him".
Prime Minister John Key told The Diary he looked into giving the Prince a greenstone treasure as a gift from his tour here, but Sir Jerry Mateparae stepped up first.
"I know Prince Harry really wants some pounamu. He admired it when we were at Gallipoli [for the Anzac Centenary commemoration].
"I was standing next to him at Chunuk Bair and we were watching a kapa haka group perform, and Prince Harry made a special mention of the greenstone necklaces the group were wearing," Key said.
"He said they looked really beautiful, and he asked where he might be able to buy one. I told him it was pounamu and you don't buy it, you must be gifted it.
"He really took to a shine to it. You could see how much he appreciated it, and that he wanted a pounamu necklace of his own to wear.
"So, we looked into gifting him a beautiful piece as a memento of his trip here, but the Governor-General said he would be giving him something. I know Prince Harry will treasure it, it will be very special for him."
Prince Harry has been making the most of his New Zealand tour. Today he is at Linton Military camp where he will learn and perform the haka, and help to lift a hangi.
Yesterday he boarded the New Regent St tram and met Christchurch's Student Volunteer Army.
TV/radio presenter Paul Henry claimed yesterday the Prince spent Monday night at Minaret Station, a remote Wanaka lodge where pop star Katy Perry and her family holidayed.
The private hotel is owned by Gary and Fran Tate, whose 23-year-old daughter Courtney, a part-time model and competitive ski racer, may have caught the clucky royal's eye following his confession to wanting to settle down and have children.
Alas, Courtney is holidaying in Mexico. And Prince Harry is understood to have stayed at other plush Wanaka digs - Riverrun Lodge. He dined at the Cardrona Hotel where he ordered that most bachelor of meals: bangers and mash.
Cliff Curtis filming in Vancouver
Cliff Curtis. Photo / Jason Oxenham
The highly anticipated spin-off to
The Walking Dead
has started shooting in Vancouver this week with Kiwi actor Cliff Curtis at the helm.
is a zombie apocalypse prequel, and the TV series is shooting in the Canadian city which is doubling for Los Angeles. Curtis has been seen sharing jokes with castmates in between takes. The TV show is to premiere in the United States in a few months.
