After making history in Hamilton last year, the Tonga rugby league team are embracing a happy homecoming in the city in preparation for their historic test against the Kangaroos next weekend.
It's understood the team were originally planning on holding their training camp in Sydney, before the idea was floated of returning to Hamilton - scene of those epic World Cup wins over Samoa, and a first-ever against New Zealand, 11 months ago.
So after a team arrival in Auckland on Wednesday evening, it was off down State Highway One to set up camp for a few days, before the team will return to Auckland on Monday for the buildup to next Saturday night's sold-out game at Mt Smart Stadium.
A week out from their big clash with Australia, there was no thoughts of a Saturday sleep-in after a big Friday field session for the Mate Ma'a Tonga squad, who instead reported for a 7am training at a brisk Beetham Park, where the sight of FMG Stadium Waikato merely metres away would have provided further chills down spines.
"The singing and everything at the stadium here, it's good memories that we all hold, not only ourselves but our fans," said hooker Siliva Havili.
"Our fans still talk about it till this day too. I go back home and my parents are still watching the same game, they always get a buzz out of it."
A mostly unchanged squad from the World Cup is also staying at the same hotel they did during that tournament, with the players mostly even having the same rooms as previously.
After their early start on Saturday the squad have the rest of the weekend free and are out to re-live some of the city's night spots, set to only watch some of the Kiwis v Kangaroos clash, as other team bonding activities call.
Havili, the Auckland-born, one-test Kiwi, who has represented Tonga nine times, said the environment in the squad was stock-standard as far as they go.
"The fun times will always be there, a lot of laughs and jokes, but at the same time a lot of hard work too," said the former Warrior, who has recently signed a two-year extension at the Canberra Raiders after a decent 2018 NRL campaign.
"It's one of the biggest games of our little nation's history."
Havili, 25, is set to again have the honour of leading the pre-game Sipi Tau, though did quip he was trying to teach Andrew Fifita some words to be able to take on the mantle instead, in a much anticipated-game that ironically sold out well in advance while the Kiwis' contest with Australia was set to draw only around 15,000.
"We were just happy to get the game on no matter where it was played," Havili said. "But there's a big fan-base here of Tongans, so it's good they get behind us, and hopefully we can do them proud again.
"It just goes to show the love of our people for our nation. We'd take the game anywhere, our people would make their way there and make the effort to fill the stadium up."
After getting together in June for a 38-22 win over Samoa in their Pacific test at Campbelltown, Tonga will now be heading back to the scene of their World Cup semifinal heartbreak against England, where a last-gasp controversial refereeing call had them within a whisker of sealing a stunning comeback win over England at Mt Smart.
Prop Joe Ofahengaue said there was no lingering resentment in the ranks around how their fairytale run ended.
"I think we've come to accept that it is what it is, that's footy, and you can't control what's going to happen at the end.
"As a team we've all moved on."
The Auckland-born 23-year-old is coming off his fourth season with the Brisbane Broncos, and prior to his five tests for Tonga he played for the Junior Kangaroos. He said that wouldn't give him mixed feelings heading into the looming assignment, but did label the fixture "very important" for the track ahead.
"This is going to be the start of the journey for us, as being one of the contenders, as a little Pacific nation kind of stepping onto the big scene against the big dogs Australia. It's going to be a good opportunity that we really need to take with two hands."