Queen Elizabeth II laughing during her visit to Government Gardens in Rotorua in 1976. Photo / Supplied
Queen Elizabeth II laughing during her visit to Government Gardens in Rotorua in 1976. Photo / Supplied
Two Tauranga residents have paid tribute to the Queen's service to the Commonwealth and shared special memories of meeting her during her Bay of Plenty visits.
Papamoa resident Donna Lloyd during a visit to Windsor Castle Photo / Supplied
Pāpāmoa resident Donna Lloyd, 55, said she was 10 when she met the Queen during her walkabout at the Government Gardens in Rotorua.
Lloyd said, in 1976 she, her then 8-year-old sister Petrina, and their mother travelled by special coach from Tokoroa to Rotorua just to meet the Queen.
"It was awesome. She was only a little lady, but there was something very special about her, and she made me feel special just being in her presence."
Lloyd said at the Queen's walkabout at the Government Gardens they were in the front row and as she approached them, her younger sister yelled "Hello Queen".
"The Queen broke out into laughter and my mother managed to take a photograph of her doing so and someone passed her a rose, and I still have those photographs."
Lloyd said the Queen's legacy would be one of "unwavering faith and unselfish service to the Commonwealth''.
"Not many people in the world can say they dedicated their whole life to serving other people and our Queen was still doing that right to the end, which is incredible."
Tauranga Historical Society president Beth Bowden. Photo / NZME
Tauranga Historical Society president Beth Bowden said she saw the Queen during her visit to Tauranga in 1963.
She had just hopped off an ordinary looking motor launch on the wharf at the reclamation end of Wharf St. I was a bit shocked as I had expected her to arrive on a big gilded, palatial royal barge.
"I was 10 and dressed in a white nylon frock and white shoes. And the Queen was wearing a very smart mint-green linen dress, with white trim, a white hat, white gloves and white shoes, and indeed she was carrying a white handbag.
"I remember she gave a little jump as she stepped off the gangplank of the launch on to the wharf. She was clearly very comfortable around boats.
"She was lovely and appeared to be having a pretty good time as everyone in the crowd was yelling out to her and cheering. Some may have also been waving flags."
Bowden said the Queen was soon surrounded by people from the council wearing mayoral robes and smart suits and she left in a vehicle to go to a mayoral luncheon.
"My father, who was exactly the same age as the Queen when he died on May 31 this year, was very interested in everything to do with the Queen his entire life. He was born on April 16 and the Queen's birthday was April 21.
"He was always saying to us when he turned 100, that he would send a letter to the Queen to congratulate her.''
Bowden learned of the Queen's death when she turned on the radio yesterday morning and immediately thought about her late father David Sparks' demise.
"No matter what your views about the constitutional future of our country, I think the Queen was an exemplary head of state for a society like New Zealand."
