WELLINGTON, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Wellington early Thursday morning amid heavy security.

She was greeted by New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully, Wellington's new Mayor Celia Wade-Brown, New Zealand ambassador to Washington Mike Moore, and American ambassador David Huebner at the airport.

Her first official function will be a welcoming ceremony on Parliament's forecourt on Thursday afternoon.

Clinton is in New Zealand as part of her 10-day tour of the Asia Pacific region, flying overnight to Wellington from Papua New Guinea.

Clinton will hold meetings with New Zealand Primer Minister John Key, Foreign Minister Murray McCully and opposition Labour party leader Phil Goff on Thursday afternoon.

She will fly to the South Island city of Christchurch on Friday to attend two American embassy events and visit American troops stationed at U.S. Antarctic Program Center.

During her three-day visit, she is expected to sign a declaration confirming closer ties between the two countries.

White House officials said before the trip that the Wellington Declaration would look at closer political co-operation, non-proliferation issues and how the two countries could work more closely in the Pacific.