Wellington - Prince Harry joined the New Zealand army to perform a rousing rendition of the army haka on Wednesday, beating his chest and stamping his feet, as soldiers in the front row put on ferocious expressions and poked out their tongues.
The 30-year-old prince was visiting the Linton Military Camp in the lower North Island while on an eight-day tour of the country.
Dressed in his British army combat uniform, sleeves rolled up, Prince Harry wore a look of intense concentration as he performed the war dance of the country’s indigenous Maoris.
The prince was given 20 minutes of private coaching before appearing for the cameras.
One of his coaches, Warrant Officer Class 2 Brent Pene, told the New Zealand Herald it had been a rigorous work out.
“He was sweating, we were sweating, a bit of frustration set in.”
The prince had done well given that he had only been given a short time to practice, he said. “He was keen, that was the main thing.”
All New Zealand army recruits must learn the haka, which invokes Tu, the Maori god of war, and is dedicated to soldiers who died in previous conflicts and to those still serving.
Pene said it was humbling and appropriate for the prince to perform the haka, given that he was also a soldier.
Prince Harry has served in the British army for 10 years, where he is known as Captain Wales, and has completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan.
The prince appeared relaxed on the military base, driving one of the army’s Polaris all-terrain vehicles at high speed across the grass before skidding to a halt in the mud.
“Everything about that felt wrong,” he said, “I was waiting for someone to tell me to get off the grass.”
The prince also helped soldiers at the base lift a steaming basket of meat and vegetables from a traditional Maori underground hangi or earth oven for a lunchtime feast.
Prince Harry is scheduled to return to Britain on May 16 and will leave the army in June.
DPA