KEY POINTS:
Valerie, Mahe, Caroline, Georgina - as our Olympic heroes filed out one after the other off the long flight from Beijing, their triumphant smiles made it obvious they were happy to be home.
Hundreds turned out at the crack of dawn - with flowers and placards, whistling, clapping and crying out hearty congratulations.
Tom Ashley went away as a relative unknown and returned yesterday a boardsailing champion.
A weighty, Olympic gold medal dangled from the 24-year-old's neck as he leant down to hug waiting loved ones.
A fresh-faced Sarah Walker got her best welcome home in a heartfelt Tuhoe haka, Te Puru, that brought the arrivals hall to a standstill, performed by students from her former high school in Whakatane.
"I came out and I saw the Trident [High School] jackets and I thought 'okay here we go'," said the 20-year-old, who came fourth in the women's BMX at the Games and is due to fly to Sydney today for a Nike photoshoot.
"We were going through the x-ray machines and you can hear everyone start to yell out and all the cheering. All my family's here and to have the haka welcoming, it's really special."
In a few weeks, Walker will again be honoured with what is believed to be the Kawerau district's first-ever ticker tape parade.
The New Zealand team, standing proud in black, walked into the arrivals area nearly two hours behind schedule about 9.20am.
Team chef de mission Dave Currie said it was the biggest welcome home he could remember.
The three swimmers, Dean Kent, Corney Swanepoel and Cameron Gibson, who were banned from the team's closing party following a prank on another team member, were also on the flight home, though the Herald and other media could not find them in the arrivals area.
The trio were expelled from the Olympic Village in Beijing on Monday after taking a photograph of a drunk teammate sitting on the toilet late and circulating it to other members of the New Zealand team.
They spent their final night in a hotel in Beijing and were excluded from the final NZOC team function.
Swimming New Zealand head coach Jan Cameron had spoken to the trio, who were "remorseful", and said Swimming New Zealand would have internal discussions and decide on any action during the next week.
At Auckland Airport, fans of the athletes started to gather before 7am.
Former league star Stacey Jones was in the crowd with his children, who had studied the Olympics at school.
Valerie Vili, Mahe Drysdale and the Evers-Swindell sisters drew the biggest number of supporters.
Vili was met by family, including sister Patricia Robati and her 4-month-old baby, to briefly bask in her Olympic glory before she goes to Europe soon for more competition.
Drysdale, whose mother Robin Owens was among the many who turned out to support him, was staggered by the welcome.
"It's a bit bigger than I thought [it would be]. It's fantastic to know we've got this kind of support behind us."
