Wine and white water

After a long week on their major tour of New Zealand, Kate and William have finally been able to let their hair down.  The royal couple are on a two day trip away from Wellington meaning that nanny is in charge of Prince George and the new parents are off the leash.  Cue major glasses of wine and scary white water rafting.

William and Kate after their whitewater ride in New Zealand on April 12th 2014

After a formal stop in Dunedin, Kate and William arrived in Queenstown and the fun and games began. The duchess had begun the day in a teal coloured dress by New Zealand born designer Emilia Wickstead, completed by a matching hat designed by Jane Taylor. 

The Duchess of Cambridge in Dunedin at the start of her day

But by the time she reached Queenstown, Kate was in skinny jeans and a pale pink jumper and the heels had gone.  Instead the duchess was in trainers (very royal trainers) and ready for a game of rugby. 

Kate in her jumper and jeans, ready for a sport of rugby

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge did a spot of coaching in Rippa Rugby - a non contact version of the sport for children.  And while Kate was praised by her team for really getting into the sport, it was William who ended up winning as his team ran out 30-22 winners.  Which was perhaps for the best after just about everyone in the world heard how his wife had beaten him yacht racing the other day. Twice.

The Duchess of Cambridge meets the teams ahead of the Rippa Rugby tournament she took part in on April 13th 2014

Then it was off to the Amisfield Vineyard where the new parents who had babysitters for the night tucked into a few tasting glasses of New Zealand Pinot Noir and looked thrilled about it.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge contemplate a whole two days with no baby responsibilities

Getting into the relaxed vibe, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge then decided to unwind after a long week by jumping on a white water raft for a bit of a wind down.  Except this is the world famous Shotover Jet, they are the world famous William and Kate and just to add to the sense of relaxation there were dozens of photogaphers there to snap them.  

Spot the royals - William and Kate join a ride on the Shotover Jet on their weekend off from baby duties

They didn't seem to care.  At the end of their day, the royal couple looked delighted and headed off for a whole evening with no George to worry about.  Mum, dad and son are reunited tomorrow but before then there's a royal cricket game to enjoy.  That's relaxing, royal style.