Meghan in Karen Walker & J Crew for Auckland Arrival & The Royals Meet a Very Special Young Woman

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex travelled to Auckland for the penultimate day of their first joint Commonwealth tour.

The day began with a visit the North Shore to dedicate a 20 hectare area of the Carol Whaley native bush to The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy. The event was organised by the QEII National Trust - the New Zealand link to the QCC. Their mission is to partner with landowners to protect special places on private land for the benefit of present and future generations.

They received an official greeting from QEII National Trust board member Gina Solomon.

The rainy weather didn't deter students from delivering a terrific musical performance.

What better way to start the event than with a spot of Welly Wanging? Mike Jebesen from the QEII National Trust said: "We wanted to give the Royal couple a taste of rural New Zealand, and there’s nothing more quintessentially Kiwi than a gumboot throw!. I know gumboot throws are something usually associated with Taihape, but rest assured, we have the blessing of Andrew Watson, Mayor of Rangitikei, to run this competition. Andy was pleased to hear that even though the couple couldn’t make it to Taihape, that gumboots would feature in the royal itinerary."

In the end, the Duchess was victorious and the red team won.

When awarded the Gumboot Trophy, Meghan said to the children “You should put it in your school. Now that’ll make a show and tell!”

The Duke and Duchess were joined by a group of children from environmental education group Trees of Survival to plant trees.

They helped plant various trees, including a puriri tree (native to the North Island) and a kōwhai tree. Omid Scobie noted: "Duchess Meghan planted a New Zealand kōwhai tree, which was one of the distinctive flora she had representing the Commonwealth country on her wedding veil. It produces bright yellow flowers in spring and is a favourite food of tree geckos, tui, bellbird and kererū pigeons."

During a speech Prince Harry said: "My wife and I are delighted to be here at the opening of this covenant, which will form part of The Queen's Commonwealth Canopy network. The sooner we fully appreciate our surroundings and how interconnected we all are the better. Not just for our planet, but for the balance of all its inhabitants.”

Harry and Meghan unveil the plaque.

A closer look at the plaque. Fun fact: the post is an old railway sleeper.

Harry and Meghan were presented with a beautiful NZ merino Swandri blanket and a pair of gumboots for Baby Sussex.

Earlier this morning, Harry and Meghan had the privilege of meeting Eva McGauley. Wellingtonian Eva was invited to attend the Prime Minister's Reception with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in Auckland. Unfortunately doctors orders mean Eva is unable to fly today but when the Royal couple heard her story, they invited her for a quick catch-up at Government House instead. Below Eva and her mum Kate.

Eva was greeted with hugs by Harry and Meghan.

Speaking about the meeting on her Instagram page: Eva said: "I am so honoured and thankful to have been invited to Government House to meet with Meghan and Harry this morning!!! They are such kind down to earth people who were really interested in the work Evas Wish does. We were welcomed so warmly by Dame Patsy Reedy and Sir David Gascoigne into their lovely home and it was one of the most memorable and wonderful moments of my life. Thank you so much to everyone who made this happen."

The Duke and Duchess have met an immense number of young inspirational people in New Zealand and brought their stories to a global audience. Eva is the personification of inspirational, bravery, selflessness and positivity. Read Eva's story in her own words:

'I grew up in a tight knit family with four people who served as my “co-parents.” My mum, my grandmother, my great-aunt and my godfather. All of whom are political, opinionated and feminists. That’s not to say their political views lineup, in fact it is quite the opposite! They fit perfectly on a spectrum of far left, left, right and further right - Christmas dinners can heat up very quickly! They differ in political stance, religion and traditions but they all agree on one thing - that love is one of life's greatest gifts. This lesson has stuck with me and plays out in different situations daily. I truly believe that recognising the power of love and how precious it is makes you a better, kinder human being.

When I arrived at high school I had lost my appetite for learning a bit. I am very lucky to mainly have had amazing teachers through all my years at school but in the year before high school I began to lose my interest. This was quickly rectified when I arrived at Wellington High School. I once again found myself surrounded by teachers who challenged me and genuinely wanted me to do my best. I had started to warm up to them but I remember the exact afternoon that it all clicked into place again.

It was the afternoon I went to my school Feminist club for the first time. My friends and I went along and awkwardly sat in the back not knowing what to expect and found ourselves being brought into a world of amazing, strong women and men who believed that what we thought and said had value. We also began to learn about some of the horrors of this world and I became determined to fix them.

Due to a happy mistake, I became involved with Wellington Rape Crisis. That first Feminist club meeting was right at the end of the school term and we wanted to feel empowered like that again, so we went along to a fundraiser at a local church for Wellington Rape Crisis. It was a cupcake baking and craft evening. As we entered the event we gave $5 and wrote down our emails. I thought I was paying to be let through the door but it turned out I had just signed up to become a fully fledged member of Wellington Rape Crisis.

In my second year of high school I turned fifteen and it was around then, in the August of 2014, that I began to feel sick. The glands in my neck began to swell and I became tired. At first I was misdiagnosed with glandular fever, a viral illness that makes you feel constantly exhausted. By the end of the school year it was starting to become hard to focus and I only made it in for 3 days of the last two weeks of term. By late January 2015 I could barely get out of bed and the pain was unbearable. Eventually we went to a different doctor who took one look at me and sent me to hospital. We went into Wellington Hospital on the 4th of February 2015 and by the 5th we knew it was cancer and were in our new home; CHOC - Christchurch hospitals Child Hematology and Oncology Centre.

Around now was when the idea for EvasWish surfaced. It was just a spark at first, an idea existing purely in my subconscious and it wasn’t until one day when I was in the car with a dear friend of mine, Wellington City Councillor Simon Woolf, that it became something more. We were at a red light when he asked me the usual question of “What do you want to do?” but the way he asked it was different to most so I replied “Change the world.” He then told me to answer with more detail before the light turned green. I ummed and panicked before suddenly blurting out something along the lines of “I want New Zealand to have an online messaging service for people affected by sexual violence.”

Evas Wish has raised $65,000 for initiatives to combat sexual violence and supporting those impacted by it. This year, Eva started a Bachelor of Arts majoring in political science at Wellington's Victoria University. If you would like to learn more about Evas wish or donate please click here.

The Duchess wore the £254 Fathom Jacket by New Zealand based designer Karen Walker. The dark navy piece is described as: "True to Karen Walker style, the Fathom Jacket blends masculine elements with a cropped, feminine fit. Cut in Salvador Suiting, a subtle check, this tailored design features peak lapels, single button fastening, front pockets and back vent. The perfect year-round jacket."

The Duchess wore a pair of J Crew Toothpick Jeans. It appears Meghan's pair are the charcoal wash (with thanks to What Meghan Wore). The jeans are described as: "Our toothpick jean + a higher rise = a nipped waist, great stretch and legs for miles—even without heels. Plus, they're super-flattering thanks to Perfecting Pockets that hold you in, lift you up and are really comfortable too." US readers can take 35% off a pair of the jeans with code FLASH.