Prince Charles Says He Does Not Know Much About N.Z.

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32220, 12 February 1970, Page 24

Prince Charles Says He Does Not Know Much About N.Z.

Z.P A Staff Correspondent)

LONDON, February 11. Prince Charles said at the New Zealand Society’s annual dinner in London last night that he really did not know very much about New Zealand.

“I feel as if I've been thrown to a bunch of

(carnivorous Kiwis,” he (said. “‘l’ve never been there, except for an hour at Auckland Airport.”

Princes Charles told the [ audience of 300 that he had. j however, been doing some re-

| search on New Zealand. He Irelated a tale or two from his research, and finished i with a couple of his cele- ; brated "airport” jokes. ; “I have found, for instance.” he said, "that the kiwi is a flightless bird with large feet. This perhaps explains my difficulties recently in taking off my aeroplane while under the instruction of a New Zealander in the R.A F.” WHV KIWIS What had not been properly explained, he said, was just, why New Zealanders around the world were known as Kiwis "Australians are not cal-, led emus or roos. And Amer-, icans certainly are not called l baldies after their eagle ” Prince Charles said fie had I been reading about Captain; Cpok. whose landing sites he! was to visit during his visit; to New Zealand. “There is no doubt that he was a. remarkable man. and'

s I we all owe an immeasurable > amount to him He seemed to I (have great humanity in deal -ling with people and he was enormously respected both by -1 the sailors and by the botan- > ists and scientists. BORNE OU I ,■ ; “When talking about the >1 potential of New Zealand for i i colonisation he was sure that ..the natives of New Zealand could be won over by kind) and gentle treatment. . "His convictions have cer-l I (ainly been borne out. includ I II ing his prediction that if the; . country was settled by an in-; ’ dustrious people they would! very soon have not only the; necessities but also many of! '' the luxuries of life. 11 “I can say that I know i some of the luxuries of New( .Zealand life after a memor-i (able dinner with your High; '; Commissioner last week. 11 departed pear-shaped and! glowing after being plied; I ceaselessly with toheroa soup. ( Romney lamb and a particu-1

: larly delicious and alcohol i lie Pavlova." said Prince Charles. ' He was intrigued that Captain Cook had first described j the New Zealanders as a: I strong, raw-boned, well made.; ■ active people, rather above j ■ the common size, of a very J [ dark brown colour, with black ; I hair. ALL BLACKS ■ “He might easily have been, describing the All Blacks in! (a line-out against Wales,” i jsaid the Prince of Wales. ; “Joseph Banks, the botan [ ist who accompanied Cook, i jcould have at the same time! ! been a Welsh Rugby reporter when he wrote that the! i Maoris distorted their faces 1 hideously, rotating their eyes. ■ and putting out their tongues ( “These tactics were just as j ■demoralising in the eigh-j iteenth century as they are] 1 now in the twentieth cen-: ! tury. The English. I’m afraid.: ! could only offer as a retalia-| ' tory measure an aggressive ■ I version of the Morris dance, ; while the Welsh could only sing as hard as they could i in the opposing team’s face.”[ Prince Charles said he was; almost encouraged to talk | ■ about the hour he spent at! Auckland Airport. ■ “I spend a lot of time at! airports.” he said. “It is al-1 ‘ways my fear that 1 will: I step briskly from a plane be-1 fore they pull the steps out. . Or with the new jets, that! I’ll arrive before the greet-! ing party know I’ve left.” Prince Charles said he hoped his tour of New Zealand and Australia would provide him with more airport; jokes for after-dinner speeches.

TROUT WAITING He was looking forward t.< visiting New Zealand. “Already my fishing finge: is beginning to itch at th< thought of those enormou; trout lying there in the river: taking not the slightest notict of any fly.” he said. The New Zealand Higt Commissioner (Sir Deni: Blundell) told Prince Charles he was regarded with adrni ration and affection in Nev Zealand