hellomagazine.com

DUTCH ROYALS RUB NOSES WITH MAORI WARRIORS

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3 NOVEMBER 2006

Bare-chested Maori warriors armed with clubs and spears gave Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Princess Maxima of the Netherlands a traditional nose-to-nose 'hongi' welcome as they began their five-day official tour of New Zealand this week.

The 20 indigenous Maori joined a 100-strong military guard of honour and 200 high school students who performed the famous Maori war dance - the haka - at Government House for the royal visitors. Maxima, who is expecting her third child in April, and her husband then delighted onlookers by posing in rather different ceremonial outfits than they are used to at home - donning Maori cloaks at the Te Papa museum in Wellington.

Fresh from a trip to Australia to mark 400 years since Dutch explorers landed on the Western Australia coast, the couple were thrilled to meet children in Dutch national dress who presented them with local spring tulips. Their packed itinerary has also included visits to the Nelson region, Christchurch and Auckland as well as a private two-day holiday in Queenstown.

Their trip wasn't entirely without drama, as a private jet carrying the pair was forced to make an emergency landing after passengers smelt smoke. The prince made light of the incident, however, joking that he left on a non-smoking flight and returned on a smoking one.

The couple previously visited the beautiful island on their honeymoon and clearly share a love for the country. "We really take a big part of New Zealand with us and it will always be part of our life," said the prince. The South Pacific country has strong ties with the Netherlands. It took its name from the southern Dutch province of Zeeland, after Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to discover it.