Abel Tasman's sighting of New Zealand in 1642, Dutch immigration since then and tulips are bound to get a mention as King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands start the official part of their visit to New Zealand.
"Perfect timing, just when hundreds of hectares of tulips are in full bloom in the deep south," reads a post on the Dutch Embassy's Facebook page.
The couple arrived on Friday and had no public engagements during the weekend. They will be welcomed by Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy at a ceremony at Government House in Wellington this morning.
They will take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park and go on to visit Sir Peter Jackson's Great War Exhibition nearby. They have meetings with Prime Minister John Key and Labour leader Andrew Little at parliament during the afternoon.
Wellington's film industry will be on show during a visit to Park Road Post, the film production facility in Miramar, and this evening there's a state dinner at Government House.
