Prince Charles: I'm so relieved the All Blacks won the Rugby World Cup

Tricia Turner has seen every royal visit since 1953 when she was 13 and a young Queen Elizabeth II wowed New Zealand. "I'm a royalist through and through," Ms Turner said.

She kept that up yesterday in Wellington when she joined a couple of hundred well rugged-up and soaking royal watchers at the national war memorial, where Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, laid a wreath.

Afterwards the royal couple walked along the bollards, shook hands, chatted, and posed for selfies.

Ms Turner almost didn't make it, but then a last-minute call enabled her to catch her latest royal glimpse.

"I had a busy day today. I was not going to be coming down. I was playing mah-jong with my ladies.

"The royals have not come to New Zealand without me seeing them. I've just seen everyone. Last time I shook Prince Charles' hand too, on the waterfront."

Prime Minister John Key accompanied the royals on their walkabout and many people snapped selfies with him in the cold.

"Don't worry, but it's 3C on my phone app," he told shivering royal fans.

Camilla apologised to one couple for bringing the poor weather.

The crowd swelled as the royals arrived but some people waited for more than an hour to see them.

One of the early birds, Peter Best, had met the Prince before, at Masterton, when he toured with Diana, Princess of Wales.

But Mr Best said he wasn't necessarily a fan of the Prince. "[I have] respect for the role and the fact that he could be our future King.

"Personally, I'd rather William."

Last night, at a state reception, the Governor-General, Sir Jerry Mateparae, raised the subject of rugby, acknowledging the royal couple would be in Australia in time for Charles' November 14 birthday, where he could celebrate with "our Australian cousins".

"I could say something more about lifting their spirits," Sir Jerry said, prompting laughter.

In response, the Prince said he was "so relieved" New Zealand had won the Rugby World Cup, admitting he was "slightly anxious" of what he would find on his visit to our shores if the All Blacks had failed to keep it.

"By the time we get to Australia, hopefully they will have got over it," he said, getting a roar of laughter from the crowd.

"Secretly I did think they [the All Blacks] were going to win all the time. How they do it, I don't know. It's a great demonstration of sporting prowess," he added.

Camilla pulled out from attending the reception, apparently on the Governor-General's advice, to recover from a troublesome cough and jet lag.

This is Prince Charles' ninth trip to New Zealand. It's Camilla's second - they were last here in 2012.

Their visit also takes in Nelson, Dunedin, Ngaruawahia, New Plymouth and Auckland, before they fly out on Tuesday.