Prince Charles and Camilla farewell NZ

Prince Charles visits the Spirit of New Zealand vessel on Princess wharf. Photo / Nick Reed

They came, they mixed, they mingled, they delighted All Blacks supporters and now they've gone.

Prince Charles and Camilla's six-day New Zealand tour ended as it began, with no members of the public and only a few members of the press in attendance.

Today the heir to the throne and his wife left Whenuapai Airport aboard a Royal Australian Air Force plane, which will whisk them off to their next stop downunder.

Last week the royal pair touched down in a chilly and soggy Wellington, where after a spartan welcome and despite Camilla battling a cough, the pair braved the rain to speak to the couple of hundred royal watchers who waited to see them at the National War Memorial.

Charles and Camilla spent a couple of days in the capital and on Friday the prince achieved the biggest PR coup of the trip, in which he both praised our victorious All Blacks and took aim at Australia.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we just travelled 11,683 miles to come here to congratulate the best rugby team in the world," Prince Charles told thousands of enraptured rugby fans.

"But ladies and gentlemen, what the hell am I going to say to the Aussies next week?"

The royal tour then took in Nelson, Wellington (again), New Plymouth, Dunedin, Westport, Ngaruawahia and Auckland but the crowds were never as big as the one on The Beehive lawn on Friday.

Along the way there was plenty of easy chit-chat with royal watchers and no gaffes, although Prince Charles probably hasn't done the global reputation of black garlic much good.

At a Nelson market the prince sniffed a black garlic paste.

"He smelt the garlic and said he didn't like the black," said stall holder Ralph Butcher of Karamaya Black Garlic.

Today sunny skies and sparkling seas greeted Prince Charles along with a handful of fans at Auckland's waterfront.

The future king popped in to visit the Spirit of New Zealand youth training vessel at Auckland's Princes Wharf.

It was a short but sweet visit - just half an hour on board the three-masted ship - with royal fans lining the wharf to see the prince at the Viaduct Harbour.

Youngsters complete with pirate hats had been out for a sail on the vessel in the morning and waited patiently on board for Charles to arrive.

The royal couple were also out and about in Auckland on Sunday, where members of the public turned out to greet them in the sun-drenched Aotea Square before they met with several charities.