Prince Harry's Busy Day: Meeting Schoolkids, Athletes, Dancers and Getting Lei'd

Harry met with with school children, at-risk teens, and injured athletes on day 7 of his New Zealand tour

Photo: Tim Rooke/REX

Prince Harry gave Auckland the royal treatment on the seventh day of his tour of New Zealand.

Harry visited the country’s largest city on Friday (local time) to spend time at a school, local youth center, and rehabilitation clinic for disabled athletes.

The 30-year-old royal started his busy schedule with a trip to Mangere’s Southern Cross Campus in Whanganui. The kids learned Harry was visiting their school just a week earlier, and one student told Stuff.co.nz she was “nervous and excited” for his arrival. “We didn’t think he would come to this school so it’s a real privilege.”

Harry was given a custom lei and watched the school’s cultural performers dance in traditional Maori and Pasifika dress.

After meeting with the children, Harry made a trip to the spinal rehabilitation unit at Middlemore Hospital, where he met with injured athletes and received a personalized rugby jersey.

“He was like, ‘Finally, I get one of these,'” rugby star Keven Mealamu told the New Zealand Herald. “It was pretty special to have him come in.”

Later in the day, Harry moved on to meet children at the youth rehabilitation program Turn Your Life Around.

Anastasia Meredith, the general manager of TYLA, told the Herald she was shocked to hear the prince was visiting.

“I couldn’t believe it, we are a small community, a small charitable trust, and someone like Prince Harry wants to come to our hood and hang out with our kids.”

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She also admitted many of the children didn’t know who Prince Harry was before they heard he was coming.

“We showed them some clips of him in the army, with the Queen, and with his brother’s family,” Meredith said.

Prince Harry spent time playing games like rock paper scissors, table tennis, foosball and pool with the children.