William, Kate and George join Parents and Babies for Playdate

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge eased into royal tour engagements this afternoon with an informal playgroup meeting with the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society at Government House.

As expected, Prince George joined his parents for his first official engagement. The adorable tot, who is teething at the moment, is fast becoming the star of the tour and of course, the event will be something to look back on in years to come - the first of countless engagements George will undertake.

George was somewhat distracted by Kate's hair :)

Their Royal Highnesses met with two nurses and ten families from diverse backgrounds during the meeting including gay fathers Jared and Ryan Mullen and their daughter Isabella, who were chosen to represent the growing numbers of same-sex couples in New Zealand. They also met Maoris, Samoans, people of Chinese descent and - representative of the multi-cultural country.

William and Kate chatted with fellow parents and exchanged stories whilst George played with other babies. Parents at the event described George as "very advanced", "strong" and "intrepid".

Governor-General of New Zealand

William confirmed they had trouble settling George when he was a small baby because he was "so big and hungry" but now he's weaning it's much better. Meanwhile, Kate praised her husband whilst chatting with parents and said he's very much a "hands-on dad, bathing George and giving him his bottle at night".

I simply love this shot.

Governor-General of New Zealand

Prince William described the playdate as "madness".

Richard Palmer Twitter Feed

The Royal New Zealand Plunket Society, commonly known as Plunket, is a national non-profit organisation which is dedicated to supporting families. Founded in 1907 by paediatrician Sir Frederic Truby King, Plunket was given special permission to use the title 'Royal' almost a century ago by King George V. It offers health care assistance to new mothers, fathers and babies and currently sees 90% of newborn babies in New Zealand each year, providing parenting information and developmental assessments.

Governor-General of New Zealand

Kate picking up a toy.

Plunket nurses provide support through home and clinic visits, mobile clinics and PlunketLine, a free telephone advice service for parents. The organisation also manages car seat rental schemes, parenting education, toy libraries, drop in centres, early childhood education and education in schools.

Plunket

Whilst researching, I was hugely impressed to see just how much ground Plunket covers in terms of support, awareness and services. I enjoyed reading personal stories and reading first-hand how parents and babies have been helped. Below we share a portion of Melissa's story:

'Our little baby had breathing difficulties and had to spend two weeks in the Special Care Baby Unit – so we had an anxious start to his life. When it was time to take him home I was constantly worried. With him arriving so early, how would I know if I was caring for him properly? All of the usual baby milestones had gone out the window. How could I give him the attention he needed and still look after my two year old, Elena? I was so worried. I’d suffered with depression in the past and I was frightened it may happen again.

My husband Karl was fantastic but needed to get back to work at some stage and I didn’t feel like I could burden him with my worries. Thankfully there was one person I could turn to and I will be forever grateful for her – Anita my Plunket nurse.

Anita was an angel. After I was home with Tommy she was in contact to work out the best time to come and see us. You can’t imagine the relief I felt just having her there. Even though we live so far out of town she made the trip out to see me and answer any questions I had. I was so scared of doing the wrong thing that I was even too nervous to take him outside. Anita was amazing – she put my mind at rest checking his development along the way and reassuring me he was doing just fine.

Plunket is such an amazing organisation. Anita is there for support and I can ring PlunketLine at any time for advice and they are always patient and caring. When I was in town I knew I’d be able to head to the Plunket rooms to breastfeed or even just for some time out. The Plunket team even contacts me to remind me about Tommy’s checkups. I also did a baby massage course there which was just so lovely. Karl met Anita several times and he felt so much happier knowing that such a capable and caring lady would always be there for us whenever we needed her.

No doubt these stories resonated with William and Kate as parents. If you wish to find out more or donate to Plunket you can find all relevant information on the official website. 82% of donations go directly to the frontline to help children and families and will be used to enable Plunket to continue to provide vital services and advice.

Plunket

There has been tremendous excitement surrounding the visit, and families who met the Cambridges today posed for photos and met with the media beforehand.

Plunket

It was a fun afternoon with plenty of cute moments and typical baby behaviour. George made a baby called Paige cry when he grabbed her wooden doll. Kate attempted to soothe her by stroking her head.

It's very special to see the bond between a mother and her child.

Clarence House Twitter Feed

Royal correspondent Emily Andrews shared some interesting details from the event.

Emily Andrews Twitter Feed

Prince George's nanny Maria Borrallo was there too.

The royal trio returned to Government House in Wellington today after spending yesterday at the idyllic Wharekauhau Lodge where they had the opportunity to rest and recover following a taxing 25-hour flight and spend the day with George out of public view. One imagines the time difference is quite the adjustment for the Cambridges, particularly when routine is so important with an eight-month-old.

Wharekauhau Lodge

The luxury hideaway which normally costs £400 per person per night, boasts heated marble floors, walk-in-wardrobes, enormous baths and stunning views of the countryside, all situated in the middle of a 5,000 acre farm in Southern Wairarapa. The name means 'land of glistening waters'.

Wharekauhau Lodge

The main atrium and staircase.

Wharekauhau Lodge

William, Kate and George looked rested as they arrived at Government House almost two hours before the engagement began. It appears the Duchess was wearing her grey print MaxMara Studio wrap dress.

New Zealand Herald Twitter Feed

Where are the trio staying at the moment? The Cambridges will be using Government House as a hub for much of their stay in New Zealand. It is an ideal location ensuring privacy is afforded and it's a lovely place for George, who will have his own bedroom next door to his parents' suite and close by to where nanny Maria Borrallo will be staying. Below we look at one of the eight guest bedrooms, in which the royal couple could be staying.

Government House

Moving on to the style details from today's event.

Kate chose the Paulina Open-Knit Dress by Tory Burch from the designer's Resort 2014 Collection (with thanks to WKW FB friend Elizabeth) The €435 black and white print dress features a pleated skirt, a concealed zip fastening and delicate fringing.  It is currently available at Net-A-Porter and Tory Burch's Website.

Tory Burch

The dress is described this way:

'A piece from her Resort 2014 Collection, Tory Burch's short-sleeved open-knit dress looks chic no matter what your figure. Attention is drawn to the flattering, knee-length skirt and cinched in waist with elegant pleats and a tactile fringing. '

The black and white colourway was very appropriate being two of the national colours of New Zealand.

Tory Burch

Tory Burch is a new designer for Her Royal Highness, but one favoured by her sister Pippa Middleton. Ms. Burch is an American fashion designer, business woman and philanthropist who launched her label in 2004 and has become known for her use of prints, colour and vibrant details. The lifestyle brand has grown into a global business with more than 1,000 freestanding stores and presence in over 1,000 department stores. Designs can be purchased from Nordstrom, ShopBop, Neiman Marcus, Net-A-Porter and many more.

Tory Burch

I expect we will see Kate choosing more pieces from Tory Burch in the future. The brand fits in well with her signature style and their dresses would be perfectly suitable for an array of daytime engagements. Below we look at several such styles all available at Nordstrom.

Tory Burch

The Duchess accessorised with her Annoushka pearl drop earrings.

Annoushka

The Duchess wore her Cartier Watch. The $6000 piece is from the Ballon Bleu de Cartier Collection.

Cartier

Kate completed the look with the Jimmy Choo Vikki Platform Pumps (with thanks to Michelle who shared via WKW FB).

Jimmy Choo

What did George wear? The little prince looked darling in the Rachel Riley Sailboat Smocked Dungarees. The navy and ivory cotton dungarees retail for $129 and feature an elasticated waist and adjustable straps which cross over at the back (Oh, the cuteness factor!). Prince George Pieces shared news George also wore the £15 Trotters Milo Body and a pair of £25.99 Early Days Pre-Walkers.

You can watch a video at 3 News.

I simply loved today's engagement. It was wonderful to see George interacting with other babies and to see moments between him and Kate captured. The Duchess looked elegant in her Tory Burch dress, a very nice choice for the occasion. Did you enjoy the event? I expect it could very well be one of the highlights of the tour.

Governor-General of New Zealand

Tomorrow is a packed day for the Duke and Duchess:

• Late Morning - They will travel from Wellington to Blenheim where they will attend a wreath laying ceremony and spent time with WWII veterans as well as those serving in recent conflicts. 
• Afternoon - The next event is at the Omaka Aviation Center where they will tour the Knights of the Sky exhibit with Sir Peter Jackson (Yes, the same Peter Jackson behind The Lord of The Rings Trilogy) and view his collection of WWI aircraft and artefacts.
•  In the evening, Prince William will meet with the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.
•  Finally, William and Kate will attend a State Reception at Government House hosted by the Governor-General, where we can expect brief speeches and the unveiling of a portrait of The Queen.

There's plenty to look forward to. What will Kate wear to the State Reception? One of her go-to designers? A New Zealand brand? Share your predictions in the comments section!