The franchise is still in party mode after winning the Super rugby final in Wellington on Saturday night and the players were still lapping up the victory yesterday.
But for the seven of them in the Maori All Blacks, the festivities came to an early conclusion as they left yesterday afternoon to join the Maori squad to travel to Fiji today.
The Highlanders have also won off the field, having grabbed $A225,000 (NZ$250,000) in payments from the host sides for the semifinal and final.
They also got to keep the cash, after expenses, they made from the playoff game against the Chiefs at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
Whether the victory on Saturday night will lead to greater sponsorship and ticket sales is still unknown.
Highlanders general manager Roger Clark said, as far as he was concerned, the off-field work would continue at the same rate.
''Obviously, it is a really positive result and a really positive feeling. But from my experience, nothing changes,'' he said.
''We still have to go out there and sell tickets and get sponsorship. It does open doors a bit easier. But you've still got to make things happen.
''But it is a really positive result. The team could not have done any more than they could have done. Getting that support behind them has really given everyone a good feeling about the team.''
The franchise has about 5000 members, including those with membership of DVML.
Whether it brings more top players to the South is also up in the air as the franchise goes through player reviews at the moment, and looks to the future.
Players tend to go to teams with winning records, so the Highlanders could attract some quality players.
But they will be wary of who they select and whether they fit the Highlanders system.
The Highlanders are the last of the five New Zealand franchises to go through a private licensing agreement.
Negotiations were continuing and an announcement was expected in the next couple of months, Clark said.
