Little did she know just how close to celebrity she would really come, within days of setting foot of New Zealand shores...
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| Looking Glam, and ready to meet the Prince... well, sort of. |
Our first clue that they were coming happened when our friend (and Producer) Lorna arrived in Auckland from Halifax (we'll talk about that later), followed shortly afterwards by Michelle's arrival from Canberra.
You see, it was near impossible to get the Canadians onto the Air Force Base we were staying on - more so than usual, I mean.
Don't get me wrong, I think it's good that the people of New Zealand exercise all due diligence before admitting 'foreign nationals' to a secure military area, but I can tell neither of them were too impressed about having to leave their Passports at the front gate in exchange for a two dollar plastic Visitor's Pass (to be escorted at all times).
The second clue came in the form of a lot of people in blue coveralls, standing around in pairs, on every intersection, and next to every building inside the base perimeter. When asked what all the commotion was about - as we departed the base to collect our passports and head out on our first Auckland shopping trip - we were sheepishly informed of a 'suspected dangerous package' received at the Air Movements hanger. There was a lot of grinning and shoulder shrugging going on, so we figured it was an exercise and didn't get too alarmed.
Finally, four hours later upon our return, we noted that the sun scorched security detail was still posted, and their grins and nonchalance had reduced to they type of military scowl that it the all too familiar by-product of 'hurry up and wait'. All day! So, naturally we began to wonder what was going on?
The next day, all questions were clearly answered. As it turned out, our time in New Zealand coincided almost exactly with the Royal Visit (Duke and Duchess of Cambridge).
The morning news was saturated with expectant reporters, standing not a few hundred yards from where we were presently relaxing and munching on our morning breakfast.
It was clear from their dishevelled hair and extra layers of make-up and lighting that they'd been standing there, up by the 40 SQN hanger since 4am in the morning. On every channel (there are only three in New Zealand anyway), they were diligently serving the Breakfast Television audiences of our nation, and stirring the excitement levels in anticipation of the Royal Visit. Young Prince George, third in line to the throne, about to arrive here to grace our presence.
All of a sudden, the mysterious 'suspicious package' from the previous day made a whole lot more sense. Then it quickly dawned on me that getting on and off the Base today was going to be even harder than it was the day before - bugger!
None-the-less; the TV Presenters got what they had come for and made the appropriate fuss when, finally, the Royal couple arrived.
Watching this all unfold on television made it difficult to reconcile with the fact that the Royal couple were engaged in a ceremonial meet-and-greet not more than a football field away from where we sat, munching on our rice bubbles.
Looking around the room at everyone sitting in their pyjamas, the next big question was, "So. Are we all going to head down there to see Will and Kate?"
We must have all been thinking it, but when somebody finally asked the question, there was a pregnant silence in the room. After a minute or two of watching the action unfold next door from the safety and comfort of our television screens, Lorna finally came to the rescue, saying something along the lines of, "Nah!"
Michelle promptly seconded the motion, "...it's not like they came here to see us; did they?"
"Fair enough", I replied, somewhat relieved at not having to put my shoes on and fix my hair, "but we'd better figure out how to get off this flippin' base before they jam up the front gate with rubber-neckers!"
With the day's shopping on the line, you should have seen how fast everyone wolfed down the last of their Easter Eggs and toast.
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| This very well could have been Charlotte speaking with the Duke and swearing her undying allegiance to Her Royal Majesty The Queen - but it wasn't - because we never bothered to put shoes on and walk the 200 yards down the street to greet them. Besides, Mike the Knight was on TV, and we figured, "they didn't come all this way to see us anyway". |
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| The Duke of Cambridge describes to his beautiful young wife, the size of Swede's head after visiting the SEMP hanger. "Seriously, Kate. You should have seen this guy's melon, it was bloomin' humungous!"
Leaving the base on our way to a day of shopping and good times, we encountered the local primary schools lining the gates of Whenuapai. Clearly, the Royal couple hadn't made their way past the main gate yet, and they school children looked on with anticipation at every vehicle leaving the base.
Unable to control myself, I rolled down the window and proceeded to deliver my most elegant 'Royal Wave' to all the expectant kiddies. Although I was driving at the time, I did my best to act important and behave in the most Queenly, state-like manner I could muster.
This came much to the delight of the children who jumped up and down, waving their New Zealand flags, and screaming. It was classic, even parents got swept away with the excitement, and we ended up photo-bombing the SD cards of about a dozen over-eager early childhood education workers. Ha, serves them right. What Royal couple would leave a Royal New Zealand Air Force base in a Subaru Legacy station wagon with duck-tape on the front fender anyway. Attention to detail people, c'mon! |
The point is, we escaped the base just in time and embarked on our well earned day of sightseeing and shopping. One thing I should mention before I sign off is, even though we didn't manage to catch Will & Kate in person as they arrived in Whenuapai - we did make a special journey down the road to a house that 'allegedly' belongs to Lorde. Needless to say, Charlotte was pretty stoked.
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