Royal tour begins - almost

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have touched down in Sydney ahead of the three hour flight they will make to Wellington to being their tour of New Zealand.  Prince George is getting ready for his first big public appearance since his christening and his first encounter with crowds since he was taken home from hospital in July 2013.  And the royals are on the front of the New Zealand papers as anticipation ahead of the tour mounts.

The New Zealand Herald heralds the arrival of two future kings and a future queen consort as William, Kate and George make their way to Wellington for the beginning of their widely anticipated tour

There are 450 journalists accredited to cover the event as it moves through the two countries with several of them tweeting some of the pages from the official media manual that comes with the job.  But no one has been more enthusiastic about tweeting his excitement ahead of the tour than the Governor General of New Zealand.  Sir Jerry Mateparae has had a Kate, William and George countdown going on all week but ran into trouble when he tweeted detailed maps of where the family would be travelling and drew criticism from some security experts.  Today he contented himself with a little reminder that, after much talk, the big tour is about to begin.

The sun goes up on a tour to remember - after months of speculation, the Cambridges are about to arrive in New Zealand