In many ways, Stewart Island is a lot like Eden.

A small, picturesque setting and a fisherman’s dream, New Zealand’s often forgotten third island is home to some real salt of the earth people.

Last week, less than six months since I left Eden, I set foot on Stewart Island for the first time, on duty for Fairfax Media as one of its royal correspondents for the visit of Prince Harry.

The flame-haired royal is already back in the UK after a whirlwind tour of New Zealand, but having watched him closely on Stewart Island, I’m convinced it’s the place he’ll remember most fondly.

Because while ‘salt of the earth’ isn’t the description that immediately springs to mind when you think of the royal family, it’s one that applies well to the prince.

While he was paraded around in front of thousands by the time he reached the major cities, the islanders allowed Prince Harry to be ‘just another bloke’, and he lapped it up.

I’m sure Edenites would give him the same rare opportunity.

My two action-packed days on the island passed so quickly they were little more than a blur, but the highlights were many.

From being hammered in the island’s now famous pub quiz by Harry and his ‘Ginger Ninjas’ and watching him engage with the local school children, to tours of pest-free open island sanctuaries, I had a front row ticket to the royal tour.

It’s a long way from the telling the stories of the town surrounding Snug Cove, but in every corner of Stewart Island there’s a reminder of Eden.

With Prince Harry back in the UK, I’m back in Invercargill on the South Island of New Zealand, where my day-to-day life takes me in and out of courtrooms and council chambers.

It’s not royal watch, but it’s a job I love - and one I came to love in Eden.

Wherever this industry takes me, when it’s all said and done, the memories of my time in Eden will be right there alongside the time I chased a prince around an island in New Zealand.