With a coconut cupped in his left hand, David Tua's knockout arm is lifted up to the heavens by a proud fan, shouting: "Champion, Tua!"
Samoan fans rushed to greet their favourite son last night after he touched down at Faleolo Airport.
With a slight grin, the heavyweight boxer shyly
approaches the growing wheel of people, greeting a relative before fans claim him as their own.
One man greets Tua with a tight hug before presenting him with a small coconut and thrusting his arm in the air, calling him the champion from Faleatiu - Tua's home village in Samoa.
"It's very humbling and it's a good feeling," Tua says.
Sporting a Red Cross T-shirt, he is accompanied by his cousin, former All Black Va'aiga Tuigamala, here to see what they can do to help those affected by the tsunami that decimated the district of Aleipata last week.
Tua, whose aunt was swept away, acknowledged the destruction the tsunami caused and the many lives lost.
It was only fitting that he returned to his motherland to see the damage for himself and to help, he said.
"It's about controlling your emotions. It's beyond just doing the right thing. It's about coming back and paying tribute to my aunty and those who have lost their lives."
Talking about his fight with Shane Cameron at the weekend, he said he was happy that the encounter - and ultimately his win - had given the Samoan people at least something small to smile about, given the country's week of hell.
Tua and Tuigamala will head this morning to Lalomanu - one of the worst-hit villages - with a team from Fa'ataua o le Ola (Lifeline) on a counselling mission.
How to donate to tsunami relief operations:
Pacific Cooperation Foundation
Deposits can be made at at any Westpac branch. All the money raised will go to the Samoan Government
Red Cross
- Make a secure online donation at redcross.org.nz
- Send cheques to the Samoan Red Cross Fund, PO Box 12140, Thorndon, Wellington 6144
- Call 0900 31 100 to make an automatic $20 donation
- Make a donation at any NZ Red Cross office
ANZ bank
Make a donation at any ANZ bank branch, or donate directly to the ANZ appeal account: 01 1839 0143546 00
Oxfam
- Make a secure online donation at Oxfam.org.nz
- Phone 0800 400 666 or make an automatic $20 donation by calling 0900 600 20
Caritas
- Make a secure online donation at Caritas.org.nz
- Phone 0800 22 10 22 or make an automatic $20 donation by calling 0900 4 11 11
TEAR fund
- Make a secure online donation at tearfund.co.nz
- Phone 0800 800 777 to specify Samoa the Philippines or Indonesia. You can also donate at CD and DVD stores.
Mercury Energy
- Donate at mercury.co.nz
or text the word Samoa followed by the amount you wish to pledge and your Mercury account number to 515 or by calling 0800 10 18 10.
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is asking for help with the clean-up habitat.org.nz