Britain’s Prince Harry kicks the ball during a 5-a-side football game at The Cloud, a multi-purpose venue in Auckland, New Zealand, Saturday, May 16, 2015. AP
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Britain’s Prince Harry finished a weeklong New Zealand tour Saturday in which he visited remote islands and engaged with indigenous Maori by paddling a traditional canoe and delivering a greeting in the native language.
Harry showed off his athletic skills on his final day in Auckland when he scored the winning goal in a friendly 5-a-side soccer game. The game was designed to highlight the upcoming FIFA World Cup for under 20-year-old players which New Zealand hosts later this month.
Harry’s last official engagement was visiting a sports training center. He was scheduled to fly back to the United Kingdom Saturday evening.
Harry told reporters he was thrilled he got to travel to every corner of the country and meet so many New Zealanders during a trip he described as “epic fun.”
“I think it’s unfair to put a highlight on such an amazing trip,” the prince said when asked to name one. “It has been fantastic. The welcome that I’ve had has been typically Kiwi I suppose. I couldn’t have asked for a better reception.”
Harry said he had been given plenty of gifts to take home to his young niece Charlotte and he hoped to visit New Zealand again, perhaps in 2017 during the British and Irish Lions rugby tour.
The prince is the grandson of Britain’s monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.