The All Blacks had a scrum practice on arrival in Dunedin yesterday.
The King's and Queen's High Schools' kapa haka group welcomed the team before players were mobbed by fans.
All Black first five-eighth Dan Carter said the team looked forward to visiting Dunedin.
"It's always good getting a warm welcome like this. We like playing in Dunedin. We often get bagpipes when we come here, too."
He wasn't wrong.
After running one gauntlet, the All Blacks walked straight into another.
Down the escalator, the airport foyer was packed with more than 500 fans, and the City of Dunedin Pipe Band.
Not everyone was entirely impressed with the reception.
The Taieri Wrestling Club was on the same flight as the All Blacks after a successful trip to the national championships in Hamilton, where it claimed a gold, two silver and four bronze medals.
"The All Blacks stole my thunder," Jacob Marsh joked, with the freestyle under-58kg silver medal around his neck.
The South African team arrives in Dunedin at 9.10am on Thursday.
• One unlucky passenger affected by windy Wellington and consequential Dunedin flight delays on Saturday morning was Otago Boys' High School rector Clive Rennie.
He and another school supporter failed to make it to Rotorua to see the school's rugby team beat Napier Boys' High School to qualify for Saturday's national First XV final in Auckland.
