Lock Maro Itoje carried an extra piece of luggage with him. As the youngest member of the squad, the 22-year-old has been tasked with looking after the team's mascot, a soft toy Lion named Billy.
Billy took pride of place on top of Itoje's bags as he and the rest of the squad were greeted by about 40 cheering fans clad in red.
Some players stopped to take photos with the fans, and Gatland followed shaking hands with supporters and thanking them for turning out.
The players appeared a bit weary after their long-haul flight to the antipodes, and will no doubt be looking forward to a rest before the first game of the tour this weekend in Whangarei against the Provincial Barbarians.
Tour manager John Spencer, himself a former Lions player during the successful 1971 tour to New Zealand, spoke after the powhiri.
He wished both teams good luck during the tour, and spoke in te reo maori.
The tourists open their 10-match tour on Saturday night against the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians on Saturday in Whangarei.
New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew earlier said a lot hard work had gone into setting up the tour.
"For the team that have been working on this project for a long time, some of them 18 months to two years, the team touching down is a sign all the work is now coming into fruition," he told Radio Sport.
A couple of Lions fans await the squad's arrival at Auckland Airport. Photo / Greg Bowker
"From a personal point of view I can't wait. I feel incredibly privileged to be sitting in a seat sideline watching a second Lions tour. It will be another great opportunity for our country to showcase on the international stage and beam New Zealand across the world."
The Lions last won a test against the All Blacks in 1993 before being swept aside 3-0 in the last tour. They face the All Blacks in the first test on June 24.
