King of the Jungle hit the nail on the head and to Australia you can add New Zealand. This tour didn't have the Hollywood frenzy of the visit of the young royals or the almost reverence of that of HM. What it did was introduce a whole new "audience" to Charles at 64 and his new wife, Camilla.
Often separated from one another amid the constantly changing crowd, Charles and Camilla checked each other's whereabouts with darting glances.
What it showed was that they are a dynamic duo, and that people liked them, liked what they were doing, that Charles puts his money where his mouth is or, in this case, wore wool! Australian wool and New Zealand wool, showing that the Campaign for Wool is truly international and doing it in his own inimitable style.
Campaign for Wool :: Home
Charles and Camilla charmed and amused us. They both seemed to know what they were talking about, better yet, who they were talking too. Their knowledge of the issues confronting those in all the areas they visited was formidable and yes,
KOJ, Camilla did meet just about every man and his dog! What does that tell you about Camilla that people want to introduce even their "member of the family", "best friend" or "baby" to her. They trust that she will be interested, care about them and maybe even pet their darling. And Camilla? She trusts them to introduce her to those that aren't going to take her hand off. Fearless!
Their interaction with the public was priceless
Twelve-year-old Max was halfway to a conniption fit after shaking Prince Charles' hand.
"I got starstruck," he said. "If you think about it, he has touched the Queen's hand, and I have felt his DNA. So . . . I feel odd," Max said before trailing off.
DNA? You gotta love those kids . . . . And to anyone wondering how much Charles takes after his father?
Charles after showing a small group of people the New Zealand Wool label inside his suit: "It's a testament to how New Zealand wool can disguise a rapidly disintegrating body."
and
Charles on hearing a tourist say she came across the royal tour by chance: "I'm ever so sorry. I hope we didn't get in your way."
or Camilla . . .
Camilla to a woman who said she enjoyed making clothes for her grandchildren: "I'm interested in crafts too. I make things for my grandchildren."
and . . .
At Re:Start, the duchess stopped at Ruby to do a bit of shopping. She bought a pair of black wedges and chatted to the shop owner.
Shop assistant Emily Stevens, 22, said she was surprised by Camilla's visit.
"We thought she would just walk along. It was surreal she came in."
The duchess also picked up items from Hapa that she said were for her grandchildren.
How utterly magic. These are the memories that people will talk about for years.
Re:Start is a very colourful Mall where shipping containers have been adapted as shops, painted in bright and modern colours and attached in a sort of modular way to what little remained of Cashel Mall, the major shopping precinct in Christchurch City. That is our new "normal"!
To Christchurch City it is just that . . . a Re:Start!
I always giggle when someone suddenly decides Charles is "loosening up" or "mellowing" with age. It's clear they have never checked out his past but rather just taken the steady stream of malicious put-downs as gospel. 
