He was off to collect his 4-year-old daughter Hayley from preschool with a spring in his weary legs, and the feeling a weight was lifted from his shoulders as he called time on his career, a month short of his 35th birthday.
No more torturing his screaming body. No more "Bond, Shane Bond" lines from scribes and commentators. Just a dedicated dad to Hayley, Katie (5), and Ryan (1) - and some relative anonymity with wife Tracey before he eyes some mentoring for promising New Zealand fast bowlers.
"I've missed them [family], I've hardly spent any time with them over the last three months," Bond said.
"The day I announced it to the guys it was a bit emotional, then the next day it was a bit of a relief. I'm really comfortable and happy. It's been an easy day and it's been nice to ring up people and thank them and let them know personally."
Bond told captain Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum - his two most frequent team-mates - straight after their twenty/20 world cup exit against England in the West Indies this week, then informed his remaining players individually.
The team gathered to farewell Bond with a few drinks in their St Lucia hotel, with Bond insistent he did not want a big announcement following a gut-wrenching defeat.
One of the best fast bowlers New Zealand has produced, he knew early last summer he might call it quits at the end of the season.
He farewelled test cricket with a bang, taking eight for 153 in December to usher in a memorable win against Pakistan in Dunedin, but knew his days were numbered.
"It was almost when I was playing for Canterbury after coming back, I was really battling, the back was like concrete and it was hard work," he said.
"I've had tendonitis for a couple of years in my Achilles and that was barking at me. I just wasn't moving how I wanted to be moving. I just thought 'I've had enough of this'."
Back problems marred his career, requiring his spine to be fused with titanium wire in 2004, along with a host of other niggles which saw him play just 18 tests over an eight-year period since his debut against Australia in Hobart.
Still, he bowled sharply against Australia in the Chappell-Hadlee one-day series in March, got through the Indian Premier League (IPL) where he had set up his family with a $US750,000 ($NZ1,050,615) contract, then had his moments in the Caribbean without totally looking his old self.
He will not be putting his name forward for the IPL auction again: "I'm finished. I'm done," he said.
Bond's cricketing numbers stack up with anyone's. He took 87 wickets from 18 tests at an average of 22.09, and 147 wickets at 20.88 from 82 one-day internationals as he rose to the world's top-ranked one-day bowler.
Having burst on the scene in Australia in 2001-02 with his 150kmh-plus, sandshoe-crushing inswingers, arguably Bond's finest spell was in Port Elizabeth in 2003 when he took six for 23 and mesmerised Australian kingpins Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting at the World Cup.
The great Ponting fell to Bond the first six times he faced him in one-day internationals.
Injury woes aside, Bond was incensed when he was barred from playing for New Zealand for more than a year after joining the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League (ICL) in 2008 on the understanding he would be free to play. Yesterday, he insisted there was no bitterness.
"I finish happy, no ill-feeling towards anyone. I've been very lucky during my career, I've had ups and downs but I look back with great pride. I'm pleased."
Bond will now put his feet up, try to have his book on the shelves before Christmas and work with New Zealand Cricket towards a potential coaching career. He has already completed two levels of his coaching certificate.
His goal is to work with promising New Zealand pacemen, hopefully with input from the likes of Dennis Lillee and respected Australian bowling coach Troy Cooley.
THE BOND FILE
Born: June 7, 1975, Christchurch.
Teams: New Zealand, Canterbury, Hampshire, Warwickshire, Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Giants.
Playing career:
> Tests: Debut v Australia, Hobart, 2001. 18 matches, 87 wickets at 22.09, best bowling 6-51 v Zimbabwe, Bulawayo, 2005, 5x5-wickets in an innings, 1x10-wickets in a match; 168 runs at 12.92, highest score 41 not out v Zimbabwe, Harare, 2005; 8 catches.
> One-day internationals: Debut v Australia, Melbourne, 2002. 82 matches, 147 wickets at 20.88, economy rate 4.28, best bowling 6-19 v India, Bulawayo, 2005, 4x5-wickets in an innings; 292 runs at 16.22, highest score 31 not out v India, Auckland, 2003; 15 catches.
> Twenty/20 internationals: Debut v South Africa, Johannesburg, 2005. 20 matches, 25 wickets at 21.72, economy rate 7.00, best bowling 3-18 v Sri Lanka, Colombo, 2009; 21 runs at 4.20, highest score 8 not out v West Indies, Auckland, 2006; 4 catches.
> First-class: 60 matches, 225 wickets at 24.34, best bowling 7-66, 12x5-wickets in an innings, 1x10-wickets in a match; 830 runs at 16.60, highest score 100, 2x50, 1x100; 24 catches.
