Harry and Meghan receive traditional Maori greeting as they land in New Zealand

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were given a traditional Maori greeting as they arrived in New Zealand – rubbing noses with Maori elders as they received a hongi.

Meghan and Harry were welcomed to the country with a powhiri – a ceremony involving singing and dancing – at Government House in Wellington.

Members of the New Zealand Defence Force performed a haka, a traditional dance, and a 21-gun salute rang out to mark the occasion.

The royal couple touched down in New Zealand from Sydney on Sunday for the last stop on their 16-day tour.

As well as Wellington, the duke and duchess will also visit Auckland and Rotorua over the next four days.

The couple have already visited Fiji and Tonga on the marathon trip, and closed the Invictus Games in Sydney on Saturday night.

At the ceremony, the duke said the performances from the competitors from 18 nations had been humbling and inspiring.

The Duke of Sussex receives a hongi during a welcome ceremony Credit: PA

He said: “They are men and women who have confronted a challenge and overcome it. They are ordinary people doing extraordinary things. And with the help of their friends and families, they have exceeded every expectation.

“That is something we can all aspire to. You do not have to be a veteran who has fought back from injury to be inspired by the Invictus example.

Both Meghan and Harry addressed the closing ceremony. Credit: PA

“You can be a teacher or a doctor, a mum or a dad, a child or a grandparent, a farmer, a plumber, a lawyer, or a CEO. Or anything at all.

“You can identify something in your own life that you want to change for the better. And you can let the men and women of the Invictus Games remind you that no challenge is too difficult to overcome.”