Taranaki were fed up and realigned with the Chiefs in late 2013 - something which still irks Hurricanes assistant coach John Plumtree who is from Hawera - and new coach Chris Boyd has made a point of getting the Hurricanes back onside with their fans.
That means travelling outside of the capital and the journey to Gisborne has been referenced regularly during this season as a week where the team bonded strongly.
It was also where Boyd and his coaching staff laid out a map to make it to where they are now; the Super Rugby final.
"We talked in Gisborne in the end of January; we talked about being here, so it was always part of the plan."
Every team plans to make the final though and there's been myriad factors that have helped the Hurricanes surge from the middle of the pack, which is where they had been marooned since 2010.
"I think there's been a steady improvement," Boyd deadpanned.
The early stages of the season proper was where the Hurricanes put crucial space between them and the peloton on the points table.
They had a tough end to the campaign with a host of New Zealand derbies so their early matches - they began the season with a road trip to South Africa and Australia - were particularly vital.
"It's always tough with a group to persuade them that a game in round one or two or three may make the difference at the back end of the competition. But it does," Boyd said.
It's got to the point in the season where the Hurricanes can draw on emotion to lift.
Stalwarts Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu and Jeremy Thrush will all depart the franchise after this weekend, while bench halfback Chris Smylie, prop Ben Franks and midfielder Rey Lee-Lo will also move offshore.
"We'd like to certainly send them away nicely because they've been fantastic club men for us," Boyd said.
Another initiative that Boyd has brought in this season is having a former Hurricanes player or coach address the team on gameday.
Tana Umaga spoke to the side before last weekend's 29-9 semifinal win over the Brumbies in Wellington, while Colin Cooper, who coached the Hurricanes from 2003-2010, was in attendance before they beat the Chiefs in New Plymouth in their final outing of the regular season.
Boyd, a long-time club coach in Wellington before moving to the professional ranks, has found a way to tap in to the DNA of this franchise and regardless of the result against the Highlanders on Saturday, he can take pride in getting their fans back.
