Royal visit, 1953–1954

Queen Elizabeth II was the first British royal to visit New Zealand since her uncle, the Duke of Gloucester, in 1934 and 1935. Her father, who visited when he was Duke of York, planned to return while king, but the outbreak of the Second World War and then illness prevented him. Elizabeth was to come in his place, but the death of her father in 1952 meant the world tour went no further than Kenya. The following year, however, after her coronation, Elizabeth II became the first reigning monarch to visit New Zealand. She and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, arrived on 23 December 1953 and departed on 31 January 1954. It is estimated that three in four New Zealanders saw her, as the Queen visited forty-six towns or cities and attended one hundred and ten separate functions.

The royal couple stayed three days in Dunedin, where the Octagon was decorated with a floral arch of a quarter-of-a-million blooms, and other floral displays, created by women's organisations, adorn all the shops. Among the events were a civic reception held by Mayor L. M. Wright; a sports meet at Carisbrook attended by 35,000 spectators; a concert featuring English music associated with the royal family performed by the pianist Richard Farrell (1926–1958) with the National Orchestra; and a visit to the Truby King Harris Karitane Hospital, which was located in Andersons Bay.