The embattled city of Christchurch will get it's chance for a up-close and personal look at Olympic gold today.
Now that most of the NZ Olympic contingent have returned from London, they'll spend the day in the earthquake-torn community, thanking the locals for their support during this country's most successful medal haul in almost quarter of a century.
"This is all about sharing our pride with the people of New Zealand and especially the people of Christchurch," NZOC communications manager Ashley Abbott told ONE Breakfast.
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"We want to say thank you to New Zealand for the great support we received over the Olympic Games - it's been absolutely fantastic."
About 90 of the team - including 23 of the 27 medallists - were on board for the visit. Some, like shot putt champion Val Adams and members of the cycling pursuit team, are still overseas competing.
But some team members have changed their holiday plans to make the trip - the entire bronze-medal equestrian team, primarily based in England, have returned home for the occasion.
"[Rower] Nathan Cohen was born in Christchurch and has close family here," said Abbott. "He really wanted to encourage kids who have had a tough time and lost their training facilities in the quake to follow their dreams.
"When we thought about having a homecoming and where could we hold it, the Olympic Games is about showing our pride and making New Zealand proud. What better places than Christchurch, where people have stood tall and shown what they're made of."
Team members will travel from the airport on a double-decker bus to a reception at the Pioneer Recreation & Sports Centre, before heading into the community to visit hospitals and schools.
"The athletes may be very tired, but they're all keen to say thank you," said Abbott. "We find that when they start signing autographs and having their photos taken, they love it and it may be hard to get them back on the plane at the end of the day."
Christchurch mayor Bob Parker described the Olympic team as "incredibly inspiring" and his city was grateful for their visit.
"It's part of the journey back to the incredible vision we have created for ourselves in the future," he told ONE Breakfast.
Gold-medal rower Eric Murray said the athletes had enjoyed spending the past week thanking the New Zealand public for their support.
"And it's the realisation that it wasn't just a few people watching the Olympics, it was everyone in New Zealand," he told ONE Breakfast. "Everyone knows what Christchurch has been through and it's great to be there to share in the homecoming of the Olympic team and keep their spirits up."
You can catch live streaming of the Christchurch Olympic welcome on onenews.co.nz from midday.