HE arrived amid tinges of controversy, but Bernie Upton will leave Bay of Plenty with his head held high.
A few short hours after helping the Steamers beat Tasman in Blenheim on Saturday, Upton told teammates he was heading back to his hometown Wellington in November, four seasons after making the shift north.
The 24-year-old Junior All Black turned down an upgraded offer from Bay of Plenty and one from Waikato, admitting it was a tough decision but one that had less to do with money and more to do with family, in consultation with wife Alena.
"It's great that we can live somewhere 12 months of the year, and the thing with that was that Wellington was a more preferable option than Hamilton," Upton, who was based for six months of the year with the Chiefs in Hamilton, said.

"And it's a chance to be around friends and family again.  When you grow up in an area, you do have a little bit of a desire to play for your home team. I couldn't really escape from that - it kept coming back to me throughout the negotiations."
The former Wellington basketball representative left Wellington's Marist St Pats club in 2003, bringing close friend Apoua Stewart with him to the Steamers.  But it was a sloppy transfer - the Bay not realising Upton was on an academy-type contract - and the move nearly didn't happen.
This time, the shift has been both professional and honourable, and coloured with visible shades of irony.
Upton originally left because he was stuck behind a list of quality locks like Ross Kennedy and Luke Andrews, and Kristian Ormsby's move to the Capital proved the ultimate catalyst.
Now Ormsby is back with the Chiefs, and Kennedy was loaned out to Counties-Manukau from Wellington last week in expectation of Upton's signing.
"It's funny - there are swings and roundabouts in this game. But you can't get too cocky - it is a rugby factory in New Zealand and you're kidding yourself if you think you're special.  There are so many other guys who can step in and take your place. You've just got to keep on top of your game."
With hooker Aleki Lutui heading to England after this week's Taranaki match, a large core is set to be ripped out of the Steamers.
Fellow lock Mark Sorenson's contract is also up at the end of the season, but it's understood he'll stay if he gets a Super 14 contract, while prop Simms Davison is also a year-by-year proposition.
Upton has played a lot of his 37 games in an extremely settled engine room, and admits that's going to be one of the tougher things about leaving.
"We've become quite a tight bunch and we've grown into quite a tight unit. I've got a lot of passion for the Bay of Plenty jersey.  I wasn't too familiar with it when I first moved up but I grew to love it quite quickly and I've been lucky enough to have been associated with some really great people up here.
"I'd like to even come back and have another stint with the Bay after I've been overseas, much the same way Andrew Blowers has done with Auckland.  We may even settle back here in the long-term, and that was another reason I wanted to maintain those relationships here and stay upfront with everyone."

Story with thanks to the Bay of Plenty Times