Kaitāia's the new Hollywood! TEM & ROBYN IN PARADISE

The in sync co-stars share, 'We're just like an old married couple'

-  Kasia Jillings

Temuera Morrison is used to working on high-budget Hollywood blockbusters with the likes of Jason Momoa. But the longtime legend of the screen insists nothing compares to working in New Zealand - especially when it involves a reunion with fellow acting great and friend Robyn Malcolm.

The pair first crossed paths 27 years ago on the set of Shortland Street when Temuera was playing Dr Ropata and Robyn joined the cast as nurse Ellen Crozier.

"I was introduced to her and thought, 'What a powerhouse! Just a great actress.' Now we're such good friends and have known each other for so long that working together is just easy. We have a wonderful rapport. It almost felt like we were an old married couple at times," shares Temuera, 62, talking about their latest project, local series Far North.

Robyn, 58, adds, "Working with Tem is absolutely effortless, like walking downhill. Maybe because of our age and both coming from the Shortland Street stables or because we're Kiwis, we have a shorthand, where we don't need to explain everything."

Far North is a six-part, mostly true, drama series based on the epic Ninety Mile Beach drug bust in June 2016, where locals foiled the almost successful importation of an estimated $500 million of methamphetamine.