Rotorua welcomed the King and Queen of Tonga to the city as the couple enjoyed a short tour of New Zealand.
King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau'u arrived at Te Papaiouru Marae in Ohinemutu in a sky-blue Rolls-Royce, along with a number of Tongan government officials yesterday morning.
King Tupou and his retinue walked on a traditional Tongan tapa cloth laid on the ground near the entrance to Tamatekapua meeting house - the same tapa cloth gifted to Te Arawa after the king's grandfather, Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, visited Rotorua in the 1980s.
He was welcomed on to the marae by a large contingent of representatives and kaumatua with the wero (challenge) carried out by Nicky Simon and Whare Bidois.
Earlier this week, the King and Queen made their first official visit to Hamilton to celebrate the sixth anniversary of the coronation of the Maori King, Tuheitia, in Ngaruawahia.
Rotorua Deputy Mayor Trevor Maxwell was part of a Te Arawa organising committee set up for the king's visit. He said it was an honour for Te Arawa to be able to host the king and queen.
"We've worked on this for the last two months ... He said he wanted to visit other parts of New Zealand while he was here."
Mr Maxwell said the king and queen visited Te Puia yesterday afternoon and visited local Maori business operations, including the Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust and Te Pumautanga O Te Arawa Trust.
The couple stayed overnight in Rotorua before returning to Auckland today and then back to Tonga at the start of next month.