A week in Central Otago will set the scene for a new campaign that will then take in localities as varied as Methven, Melbourne and Nuku’alofa.
The squad are taking part in open trainings and daily community events in the heartland before their opening preseason game against Moana Pasifika in Queenstown next Friday.
They are in Wānaka on Monday, Ranfurly on Tuesday, Cromwell on Wednesday and Alexandra on Thursday before the game at the Queenstown Event Centre.
"We’re very much looking forward to connecting with all the rugby people of Central over the week," Highlanders chief executive Roger Clark said.
Preseason rugby was more about walk-up crowds than advance ticket sales, Clark said, but he was confident the Highlanders-Moana Pasifika game would attract a crowd of about 4000.
Oddly, details have not yet been made public of the Highlanders’ second preseason game, against the Hurricanes in Dunedin on February 10, after which they finish the phoney war period with a clash with the Crusaders in Methven on February 16.
It was confirmed during the holiday period that Moana Pasifika’s home game against the Highlanders on March 4 would be in Tonga.
That should be a special occasion at the Teufaiva Sport Stadium in Nuku’alofa, especially for Highlanders with Tongan heritage, like Folau Fakatava.
"We’re very excited about it," Clark said.
"We haven’t played there before, so it’s a new challenge."
Incoming director of rugby Jamie Joseph will face plenty of challenges as he attempts to follow the success he had as a coach. Joseph has not officially been on deck since winding up in Japan but is heading to Central with the team.
Clark said it was exciting to have the former champion coach on board. His role was very clear, and he would be in charge of all rugby operations, including the team, recruitment, high performance and staff.
The Highlanders are not yet commenting on the structure of the team’s off-field management following the departure of long-serving manager Paul McLaughlan to the All Blacks.
Super Rugby rosters are a relentlessly moving beast these days and the Highlanders have made a move that went under the radar.
Wellington and one-game Hurricanes lock Hugo Plummer has come to Dunedin as cover for much of the season.
The Highlanders are missing new second-rower Mitchell Dunshea and fellow beanpole Will Tucker for a good chunk of the campaign, and with Pari Pari Parkinson also not quite firing on all cylinders, they need some cover there.
Plummer, 23, is a big unit at 1.98m and 118kg and is a law student.
The biggest news for all the Super Rugby clubs will be the appointment of the competition’s first chief executive, seen as a vital move to safeguard the future.
Clark understood there had been "massive interest" in the role. Applications close on January 31.
