Oprah welcomed onto marae

Oprah (file)
Oprah (file)

Oprah Winfrey is visiting New Zealand for the first time, and today she was given an official Maori welcome at a marae in Auckland.

She'll be performing a one-off show tomorrow night, and that means Christmas has come early for one of her biggest supporters.

Oprah’s pretty much seen it all after 25 years on air, but today’s marae trip was a first for her.

Along with her entourage, the talk-show queen was officially welcomed onto Auckland's Orakei Marae.

Oprah doesn't like the word “fan”, so Lisa Yardley claims she's her biggest supporter.

"I love her so much because she is just the consummate connector of people. She brings so much joy and learning and awareness to people."

Ms Yardley is counting down to the show, and even thinks she's the reason Oprah has made the journey here after they met in the US.

"I said, 'Hi I'm Lisa from New Zealand,' and she said, 'Oh we must go there.'"

Despite this being her first visit to New Zealand, Oprah was deeply appreciative of the traditional Maori welcome she received.

If this afternoon was anything to go by, her Kiwi "supporters" will be hoping she makes visits to New Zealand a bit of a tradition, too.

3 News