King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima at the end of their State Visit to New Zealand
(photo koninklijkhuis Twitter)
They think it's all over - it really is now. The King and Queen of the Netherlands have completed their State Visit to New Zealand, bringing to an end almost two weeks of travel which has also taken them to Australia. The final part of their mammoth tour, on November 9th, was spent in Auckland where they once more looked to the past links between their country and this part of the world while casting an eye to the future. Welcome to the end of the Dutch State Visit to New Zealand.
The past links between the Netherlands and New Zealand were all around Willem-Alexander and Maxima as they began their day at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi e Tamaki for a viewing of famous etchings of Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman, meeting Maori leaders in 1642, They also saw a celebrated collection of portraits of Maori leaders done over a century ago.
Dutch royals on a tour of #themaoriportraits pic.twitter.com/nAJbDf5ZeD— Auckland Art Gallery (@Auckartgal) November 8, 2016
The King and Queen of the Netherlands then attended an economic conference on the future of the food production industry where they met representatives from their own country and New Zealand. There was one last speech from King Willem-Alexander where he talked about the strong bonds between the two countries in the horitculture and agriculture sectors.
The day ended with a visit to the Spirit of New Zealand, a training vessel which provides experiences for 14 and 15 year olds to sharpen their communication and leadership skills.
Then it was time for the couple to depart and as they sailed into the distance, they ended a State Visit filled with traditional elements (including a gala dinner) with a modern touch. A rare tweet, personally signed by the King and Queen themselves, said thank you for the 'warm welcome' from 'a beautiful country'. State Visit New Zealand goes down as another happy success.
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