The golden glow continued to the last day as Ellesse Andrews sprinted to a second individual gold medal on the cycling velodrome.
That brought the gold tally to a scarcely believable 10, and 11th place on the medal table, not far behind Olympic heavyweights Germany and Great Britain.
In a delicious irony, New Zealand pipped Canada, the evil perpetrators of "dronegate", where its women’s football team officials were caught spying on the Football Ferns.
It seems so long ago because so much has happened.
Remember the women’s rugby sevens? Remember Dunedin’s Erika Fairweather in the ultra-competitive pool making four finals and nearly achieving bronze in the star-studded "Splash of the Titans", the 400m women’s freestyle?
Remember the "super mums", Lucy Spoors and Brooke Francis, winning the rowing women’s double sculls?
Or Alexandra’s Finn Butcher, whom few had even heard of, paddling his way to victory in the men’s kayak cross?
Who could forget Andrews, a former Mount Aspiring College pupil, winning her first sprinting gold? She added to her Tokyo silver with another second place, this time in the women’s team pursuit, including Clyde’s Nicole Shields.
Lisa Carrington’s kayaking is beyond compare; a K1 500 triumph to go with the K2 500 (with Alicia Hoskin) and the K4 (with Alicia Hoskin, Olivia Brett and Tara Vaughan).
The cool Lydia Ko let the tears flow as she marked the trifecta of medals across three Olympics and became the youngest woman golfer eligible for the World Golf Hall of Fame.
The heights were reached by high jumper Hamish Kerr in track and field.
New Zealand seldom features first in the most competitive arena of all. Two hundred of the 205 nations at the Olympics had at least one track and field entry.
Such was the run of success that Maddi Wesche’s shot put silver could not receive the reverence it deserved.
Most pundits did not believe the bonanza of the previous Olympics in Tokyo would be repeated. We and they were wrong.
After all, between 1998 and 2008 New Zealand never managed more than three gold medals.
In Sydney in 2000 the medal tally was a meagre one gold and one bronze.
This time seven silvers and three bronzes combined with the golds to bring the total to 20.
Eight golds were in women’s events, and eight were sitting down — although Andrews occasionally powered out of her bike saddle.
Neighbours Australia also had a wonderful games, fourth on the table with 18 golds, 19 silvers and 16 bronze medals. Skateboarder Arisa Trew, aged 14 years and 86 days, became the country’s youngest gold medallist by winning the women’s park final in Paris.
New Zealanders engaged in different ways.
The time zone difference made it difficult to watch many live events. It was easier to revel in the relayed success and replayed glory.
We can sympathise, too, for the vast majority who hoped or expected to do well and didn’t.
For some, the competition was too much. Others were held back by injury, or it just didn’t come together on the day.
The disappointment of the gutsy Aimee Fisher (narrowly fourth) after the K500 showdown with Carrington was palpable.
New Zealand and international storylines abounded in this gigantic event set mostly against the elegant backdrop of Parisian architecture and history. There were 10,500 competitors, 45,000 volunteers and intense but unobtrusive security (at least to the vast television and online audiences).
A few pockets of controversy failed to take the shine off this inspiring, colourful sporting extravaganza that is the Olympics.
Bring on Los Angeles in 2028.
