Kate Hawkesby: Thanks a million Meghan and Harry

COMMENT: So the royal couple fly out today, and for the Duchess in particular, I bet a cup of tea and a lie down on the sofa with the dogs is the biggest and most exciting thing she'll be doing in a while.

Frocks and heels, makeup and all that smiling and shaking hands, it must be absolutely exhausting - even more so when you're pregnant.

Most of us in a frock and heels can't wait to get home and get the trackies back on.
But she didn't seem to get that chance.

The tour was relentless, and she managed to appear fresh as a daisy each day with a new outfit, more smiles, and more bunches of flowers to collect. Yes it helps when you're travelling with an entourage of hairdressers, makeup artists and stylists, but still, exhausting.

Harry was always going to be a smash hit, because well, he's Harry, but Meghan seemed to wow the crowds in a way no one could've predicted.

So now they're leaving it's time for the debrief. How'd it go? How do we rate the tour?

Well in my view. Rotorua was the hands down highlight.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex finish the public walkabout at the Rotorua Government Gardens.

As a spectacle, it had it all. For a start, the weather gods played ball, it was a beautiful sunny day, amidst a tour full of rain.

But it was also dignified and respectful, and I think quite emotional for them.

Certainly the travelling international media were taken aback at the scale and finesse of the Rotorua experience.

The culture and tradition on display was phenomenal, the powhiri was spine tingling, the locals rose to the occasion, and the Duke and Duchess seemed genuinely impressed by it.

On a tour that included gumboot throwing, a beach walk in the rain, and an MP who rudely ignored protocol and asked Harry for a high five, Rotorua seemed all class.
Thank goodness that was their final day, at least they went out with a bang.

There was lots of speculation about where this itinerary came from, why they went the places they went, and did the things they did. Usually an advance party comes and does a reccie, then returns to London with a list of potential events, places and people to see, and it's up to the royal couple to choose. Did they really choose gumboot throwing themselves? Who knows.

So was it worth the million dollar pricetag?

For putting NZ fashion on the world stage? Yes. For putting the culture and beauty of NZ on the world stage? Yes.

Will we see any tangible benefits from it?

Let's hope so.