Prince Harry touched down at Linton Army Base in Palmerston North this afternoon and took part in the military haka.
Harry arrived in a Defence Force NH90 helicopter after spending the morning in Christchurch.
The royal, who holds the ranking of captain in the British Army, was then asked to drive a Polaris All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) across the base.
Wearing the British Army uniform and a blue beret, he donned a helmet and pulled on a New Zealand military jacket before driving the vehicle to the base's hangi pits at high speed before bringing it to a halt with a small skid in the mud.
"Everything about that felt wrong," Harry said, referring to his tyre tracks across the lawn. "I was waiting for someone to tell me to get off the grass."
Harry was also shown a Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV). "I don't get to drive this one?" he asked, before being told to clamber into the crew commander's compartment.
The Prince was met by a group of 30 soldiers at a large hall at the base, where for 20 minutes he learned the haka.
One of his coaches, Warrant Officer Brett Pene, told Harry the haka referred to the current New Zealand soldiers being descendants of those who fought various campaigns around the world.
Media were ushered out of the hall while the instruction took place. It is believed the Prince was given a video of the haka earlier this week to allow him to prepare.
Officer Pene said Harry had done well at the haka, given the time he had to practice. "He was keen, that was the main thing."
Touch rugby with children
Later in the afternoon, the Prince played touch rugby against boys and girls from Linton Camp School.
He played in his military uniform and was quickly in the action, setting up a try with with first pass. He also showed off a sidestep and a couple of dummy passes.
Harry was playfully competitive with his team of 9-, 10- and 11-year-olds. When his side was defending on the try line, he shouted to them: "Concentrate, concentrate." And when the ball fell loose he yelled: "Have it!"
One of the players, Caelim Reeves (11), said it was "awesome" to have played against a prince and it was clear that Harry had played before.
"He was fast, hard to catch. And strong passes too, real good."
Harry's tour of the army base came to an end with a flight to Ohakea in an NH90 helicopter 15km away.
Although he has flown Apache choppers for the British Army, he did not choose to pilot the NH90.
Visit to Odyssey House
Earlier, Prince Harry was welcomed to Odyssey House, a community facility for alcohol and drug abuse in Christchurch.
He was greeted by staff and a karakia before moving into the kitchen where a morning tea was set out for him.
"Did you make all these?" Harry asked after being introduced to some of the residents. "Were you busy? I'm disappointed I had breakfast now."
Director Nigel Laughton spoke to the Prince about the programme before the team posed for a group shot with him.
Harry was then escorted outside, where residents were waiting in a workshop with wooden tables they have been building.
The Prince, dressed in a dark polar fleece jersey over a light blue shirt, rolled up his sleeves up to help stain wood tables. He spoke to one resident who said he was an artist.
Harry asked if he had any pictures with him, and the resident handed him one he had bought for Harry of his son.
"That's amazing, that's incredible," Harry said. "You're a genius. Don't do tables - do this."
"Maybe I can draw a picture of you and send it to you?" The resident asked.
"Yeah, just don't give me red hair," Harry quipped.
Reunion with school matron
The popular royal paid his first visit to Christchurch yesterday where he had an emotional reunion with his former boarding school matron.
Vicki McBratney hadn't seen the young prince since he was 12 years old. She looked after him in 1997 while working as assistant matron at Ludgrove School in England.
Her first day on the job was the funeral of his mother, Princess Diana.
Prince Harry remembered her right away. He gave her a kiss and told her it was "so nice to see you again".
"I wasn't sure he'd remember me after all these years but he did," said Ms McBratney.
"It was really nice to relate to him again."
She remembered him as a "very lovely, funny, typical 12-year-old" boy.
Seeing him today, she thought he hadn't changed much. "He's just a lovely man."
McBratney took the day off work to stake out a spot in Cashel Mall with old photos, hoping that Harry would recognise her.
Prince Harry also visited a very soggy University of Canterbury campus to cheers from hundreds of students who braved thunderstorms and hail to catch a glimpse of royalty.
He met with masses of excited royal fans lining the streets of Cashel Mall, shaking hands, gushing over babies and posing for pictures.
