BROKENWOOD'S NEWEST COP ‘I used to be the shy guy'

THE ACTOR HAS CERTAINLY COME OUT OF HIS SHELL

- Fleur Guthrie

It’s been one of those weeks for actor Jarod Rawiri and his wife, choreographer Dolina Wehipeihana. The last 24 hours alone have seen a burst water pipe under their Auckland bungalow (“We wondered what the strange hissing sound was!”) on Dolina’s 45th birthday.

Now with the water turned off until the plumber arrives, there’s a backlog of dishes to wash and poor Dolina – who’s hobbling around in a moon boot after rupturing her Achilles tendon during a run – is hanging out for a bath.

“Welcome to the madhouse,” she laughs, where, truth be told, it’s a picture of serenity when the Weekly arrives to chat to the down-to-earth couple, before three of their four children arrive home from school.

It’s a rare day off for Jarod, who plays newcomer Detective Constable Daniel Chalmers on TV series The Brokenwood Mysteries, which is New Zealand’s most successful show internationally.

Watched in 18 territories worldwide by audiences in the millions, the show is now in its seventh season and has just launched in the US and Canada.

“I’ve got fan mail already from people in Canada,” says Jarod, 42. “They seem to have accepted DC Chalmers, so that’s nice. At first, I felt a bit like the new kid at school because it’s such an established show. But because [lead actors] Neill Rea and Fern Sutherland have been on the show for so long, they’re a great source of what to do and how to do it.

“I came in with my own ideas and they were like, ‘Wow, look who’s trying to be the star pupil’ – all tongue in cheek, of course. It’s a really fun environment.”