THE PEOPLE OF Auckland turned out in their thousands on Monday afternoon, lining the city’s streets to celebrate the All Blacks’ Rugby World Cup win.
Today’s victory parade was the first of a three-part celebration which will see Richie McCaw and his team-mates also visit Wellington and Christchurch to show off the Webb Ellis Cup.
The party continued well into the small hours of Monday morning following New Zealand’s narrow 8-7 victory over France, the country’s first since they won the inaugural tournament — also in Auckland’s Eden Park — way back in 1987.
And by this afternoon, there were no signs of the festivities letting up as the jubilant All Blacks fans grabbed their flags and banners and packed out the route for the team’s open-top parade.
The rugby-mad Kiwis have already put the finishing touches on a commemorative stamp which will be available from tomorrow, while the New Zealand Whiskey Company has bottled a single malt called “Vindication” to celebrate the win.
Here are some of the best snaps from yesterday’s victory parade.
