The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were all smiles as they were greeted by some residents of Middle Earth during their visit to Courtenay Creative for an event celebrating Wellington's thriving creative arts scene.
Courtenay Creative runs programmes to help provide young people with the tools and experience needed to excel in the film industry.
During the event, the royals eagerly shook hands with a wildly gesturing orc, before introducing themselves to the other guests.
The royals met some interesting characters in Wellington tonight.
While there, the royals also met a number of young creatives demonstrating their wealth of talent in props, make-up, music and costume design.
In one instance, Prince Harry could be seen touching the face of Ruby, 12, whose visage was transformed into a chimp from the Planet of the Apes by her father, a creative art director at Weta Digital.
Ruby said of their meeting, "It was a very nice experience to meet and talk to them. They were everything I expected. Really kind".
Meanwhile, Meghan looked on in wonder at the lurid costumes as she cradled her baby bump.
Meghan herself was an actress, having starred in the US television series Suits before her marriage to Prince Harry.
To cap off the event, the royals were serenaded by a singer with a keyboard and several backup singers, before Prince Harry took a turn on a virtual reality game.
The royals were then presented with a gold, paua and diamond necklace from The Village Goldsmith by orc Luke, who apologised for scaring them earlier.
The royal couple touched down by helicopter this afternoon on a rainy day.
Earlier in the day, the Duke and Duchess visited Abel Tasman National Park, where they had a barbecue lunch with local school children before taking a trail walk through the park grounds.
SHARE ME