The Rookie star Melissa O'Neil says she's been "embraced with a lot of warmth and generosity" from Kiwi fans of the hit TV series.
The Canadian actor, who plays fan-favourite Lucy Chen on the police procedural, told Seven Sharp she came to Aotearoa with her friend and co-star Lisseth Chavez, who plays Officer Celina Juarez on the show, to "explore some of your beautiful country" ahead of appearances at Auckland's Armageddon Expo this weekend.
O'Neil said the reaction from Kiwi fans of the show had been "very unexpected, 'cause it's not the treatment we get when we're not here, I can tell you that".
"We're from LA – nobody cares. Nobody cares."
She continued: "We have been embraced with a lot of warmth and generosity – and everyone's been so welcoming and they're not shy at all."
The 37-year-old said she and Chavez attempted to "sneak in" to Te Puia, in Rotorua's Whakarewarewa Geothermal Valley, yesterday but were caught and given a "special private tour".
"It was spectacular."
The Rookie was recently renewed for its ninth season, and O'Neil said she was "thrilled to be working".
"To be able to be doing it with such a family like the one that we have on The Rookie is genuinely a blessing beyond measure," she said.
"We love what we do, we love the stories that we get to tell and the fact that we get to do it together as a team for as long as we've been doing it, it's very rare and none of us is confused about that.
"We're happy to keep this party going."
Along with acting, O'Neil was also an accomplished singer, becoming Canadian Idol's youngest ever winner in 2005, at the age of 17.
O'Neil said her talent as a singer had bled into her roles, including a stint on Broadway, but it wasn't her sole focus at this point in her career.
"But in a very strange twist of events, the exposure I've received from the show has driven people to find the music that I did almost 20 years ago, which is very peculiar," she said.
"I've had a lot of encouragement to get back into music so I think about it sometimes but I'm a bit shy, I think, with that stuff these days."
Along with singing and acting, O'Neil had another hidden talent – rugby.
"I love the sport. It's super fun and you get to hang out with a bunch of badass ladies who know how to use their strength, so I miss it. I'd love to catch a game out here. I don't know if it would be possible, though."
During the interview, the actor was given a signed Black Ferns jersey from Seven Sharp host Jeremy Wells.
"I love it," she said. "Thank you. I love presents. This is so cool."
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