Just days into the royal tour, Kate Middleton and Prince William are already charming the people of New Zealand.Kate got to personally meet second world war veterans when she joined her husband to attend a wreath-laying ceremony at Blenheim's war memorial on Thursday morning.
"Lovely, isn't she, very natural," said veteran Wilton Sterritt, who is over 90 years old and served as a seaman for the Royal New Zealand Navy.
The veteran had a surprise for the Duchess. Upon meeting her, he pulled a 40-year-old photograph from his pocket of himself and the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, from the Christchurch Commonwealth Games in 1974.When Kate saw the retro photograph of the Queen's husband she smiled in delight.
"I was on the organising committee [for the Commonwealth] games. I had to show him [Prince Philip] around all the shooting venues,'' Mr Sterritt told pressm before explaining that his daughter had "fished out" the photograph for the special occasion.
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Excitement was at fever pitch in Blenheim as crowds gathered to welcome their distinguished guests on Thursday morning. Some had been waiting from as early as 4:30am to secure the best spot from which they would spot William and Kate.
The light drizzle hadn't stopped other locals from camping out, who instead saw it as an opportunity to whip out their British-flag themed umbrellas.
As many as 5,000 people flocked to Seymour Square for the visit, and hundreds were seen waving British flags. Two young girls had especially baked a cake decorated with the Union Jack for the royals.