By Mike McRoberts
The London Olympic feel good factor embraced Christchurch as the New Zealand team arrived for a pre-arranged parade.
Designed to bring cheer to a city in need of some good news, it didn't disappoint.
The pilot joked the flight south might be a little slow with the amount of gold, silver and bronze on board.
But then we could have rowed, biked or kayaked anyway.
Only in Seoul, 16 years ago, has New Zealand won 13 Olympic medals, and with so many top ten finishes you could argue this is our most successful team ever.
And that's certainly how they were being treated.
Even for our most experienced campaigners, it was overwhelming.
Since the earthquake there are crowd restrictions at events like these, the lucky ones cheered while a similar number waited outside.
And for those who couldn't make it, a special treat.
At Daffodil House cancer patients had a visit from Eric Murray and Hamish Bond.
The word used so often here was ‘uplifting’.
Across town at the Anthony Wilding retirement home they had their own medals, and now a medallist.
“It's amazing. This is my home town. So it's really nice to come back and see everybody. Especially coming home with the medal, it's great,” says bronze medallist Caroline Powell.
It'd be hard to put a measure on a day like today.
But the decision to come here, much like its recipients, was inspired.
Watch the video for the full story.
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