Overview
A royal year
New Zealanders celebrated two royal event s in 1953. In the middle of the year, their new monarch Elizabeth II was crowned. Six months later she came to New Zealand in person. Many souvenirs were made to mark these happy occasions. Some were unique and hand-made, others were mass-produced, but all were mementos of the beginning of what was called ‘the new Elizabethan age’.
Coronation
In June, Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and Pakistan, and became the Head of the Commonwealth. The coronation on 2 June was especially memorable for New Zealanders, as it coincided with news of Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenza Norgay reaching the summit of Mt Everest. The Acting Prime Minster of New Zealand described the conquest as ‘a most fitting gift for her Majesty’s Coronation’.
Touring New Zealand
At the end of December 1953, Queen Elizabeth arrived in New Zealand. She and her husband stayed for almost six weeks, as part of a six-month tour of the Commonwealth. This was the first time a reigning monarch of the New Zealand had visited – the previous five royal visits had been made by brothers or sons of monarchs.
Popular reception
Queen Elizabeth travelled through New Zealand with her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. Their itinerary took the couple to 46 towns and cities. Crowds of flocked to see them. It is estimated that almost three out of every four New Zealanders turned out to catch a glimpse of their new Queen.
Imperial links
The tour celebrated and confirmed the ongoing importance of British culture and tradition to New Zealanders. People waved Union Jacks, not the New Zealand flag. Red, white, and blue floral displays were the order of the day. After the tour, The Rotorua Post commented: ‘Few can have failed to see in the young Queen the embodiment of all the glories of England and the Empire’.