The countdown is on for the New Zealand Warriors to showcase their silky skills in Rotorua, with a number of past and present players turning up the excitement early by meeting 5000 pupils at 12 schools.

On Thursday and Friday club greats Jerome Ropati and Ruben Wiki will spearhead a Warriors delegation on the two-day blitz ahead of the first match in the Bay of Plenty for four years.

Warriors captain Simon Mannering dives for the corner against the Cronulla Sharks at Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium. Photo: Supplied.

Ropati, just appointed as an NRL Community ambassador, and former team-mate Wiki, the NRL team's rehab coach, will be in the Geyser City from Wednesday night for a community and promotional visit ahead of the side's trial against the Penrith Panthers at Rotorua International Stadium on Saturday at 3pm.

Before romance meets rugby league, Ropati, Wiki and Vodafone Warriors community relations manager Petrece Kesha will be joined by NRL players Glen Fisiiahi, Charlie Gubb and Siliva Havili for a series of community activities.

Fisiiahi is continuing his recovery from a shoulder injury while Gubb and Havili have joined him in the treatment room.

Havili is carrying a hamstring injury and Gubb is likely to be sidelined for three-to-four weeks after breaking a toe during his impressive display in Saturday night's 22-12 trial defeat by the Gold Coast Titans in Toowomba.

Split into two teams of three, the Warriors' advance guard will visit six schools on Thursday and another six on Friday in an intensive community initiative before the club's NRL players and coaching staff arrive on Friday to prepare for the trial.

'Jerome and Ruben plus the three current players will be heading into schools to give the kids a chance of getting up close and personal with the Vodafone Warriors,” says Petrece.

'They'll also spread this year's NRL Community message about wellbeing, focusing on everything from nutrition and healthy eating to the importance of regular exercise and its effect on mental health.”

As well as visiting schools, the Warriors will be involved in other activities including an appearance at the Rotorua Night Market on Thursday, and attending the Wai-Coa-Bay Nines on Friday night (which also run on Saturday).

Their activities in Rotorua are among the first events in the NRL's 2015 Community Carnival. The carnival was launched in Australia last week by Olympic great Cathy Freeman and another new NRL Community ambassador, Anthony Minichiello.

'This is a particularly special Community Carnival as we celebrate 15 years of the programme and we're delighted to have Catherine throw her support behind this year's wellbeing message,” says head of NRL community Adam Check.

The Vodafone Warriors' community activities in Rotorua will heighten awareness of what will be the club's most important trial heading into the 2015 NRL season.

Head coach Andrew McFadden used an inexperienced side in Saturday night's hit-out against the Gold Coast which had always been the plan.

For the Penrith clash, though, McFadden will field the strongest squad possible in what will be the Warriors' only NRL trial on New Zealand soil.

They last appeared at the Rotorua venue in 2011, beating Parramatta Eels 24-4 and the Sydney Roosters 26-8 in 2010.

After finishing a disappointing 9th this season, the Warriors head into their 20th season in the NRL.