In memory of the The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visit Mount Maunganui on the Royal yacht Britannia. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh followed up from the tour of 1953 with a visit to Mount Maunganui during the tour of 1963. The royal party were on HMY Britannia, a luxury vessel which was escorted by a warship during such visits. The vessel was in commission from 1954 -1997 and is now berthed at the Port of Leith in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is a popular visitor attraction with over 300,000 visits each year. She was developed and designed to be converted into a hospital ship in time of war but was never used as such. HMY Britannia was also a possible escape for the Queen and Duke to take refuge in the event of nuclear war. She was a regular sight at the Cowes Week regatta until her decommissioning in 1997. With a refit estimated to cost 17 million pounds prolonging her role for another five years it was decided to decommission her. During her visit to Mount Maunganui the royal party disembarked at Coronation Pier which had spectacular floral decorations. The official welcome was at Memorial Park in the Sound shell. When the party walked by the adoring crowds, red and white petals were cast at the Queen’s feet by local girls. David Lange quoted in 2005: “The royal party were greeted with a frenzy which is hard to imagine today. “The enthusiasm of the public was near universal and certainly demonstrative.” The photos show the surf carnival with the now superceded rope being played out by the shore team and the older style dress being particularly noticeable.
Ron Morgan
A steady line of admirers viewing the Royal yacht while berthed.
Teams assembled on Mount Maunganui beach.
Adoring crowds wait for a glimpse of the royal party.
HMY Britannia in all her glory entering the Tauranga harbour.
HMY Britannia.
10
|
waterline April 2021
