"These young people are capable, confident young ambassadors and you can feel very proud of them," Ms Merriman said.
The pair said the turnout was overwhelming and Karena was quick to point out her sister's tears as she tried to thank the community for their support.
"She never cries either so this is big," Karena said.
Seeing the town decorated with pink and the people lining the streets as they arrived was "incredible", Kasey told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend.
Karena said they had been preparing themselves for the public reaction in the six months since filming finished and were ready to share it with everyone.
"We were ready but we weren't expecting this," she said.
The overwhelming response meant there were plenty of tears shed by both sisters throughout the day, Karena said.
The sisters were welcomed to Maketu Primary, their old school, with a haka yesterday morning and were looking forward to visiting Te Puke intermediate and high schools in the afternoon.
Te Puke resident Audrey Baldwin was an avid follower of the show and presented the girls with a painting of two pink birds that she had glued to a ruler.
"I thought they deserve something. It's a lot of fun," she said. "They are going to be wonderful ambassadors. I'm so proud of them."
Organiser Di Leach said they had a fantastic response at each stop during the day.
"It's just awesome. It makes everything worthwhile. The girls are truly delighted with it," she said. "There were people all around the streets."
