The star of Restoration Man and George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces is in New Zealand filming a online series with Mitre 10 about New Zealanders getting creative in living spaces in a can-do fashion.
Mr Clarke told the Otago Daily Times his visit to poet Hone Tuwhare’s Kaka Point crib on Thursday made it a "powerful day".
"To think that Hone wrote all of those amazing poems at that crib is just incredible.
"You can tell he was anchored to the landscape in his writings, inspired by being close to the sea and seeing the stars at night."
Reciting one of Tuwhare’s poems to the late poet’s son, Rob, at the crib was the highlight of his time in the South Island.
"Hone’s crib makes you realise that small space projects aren’t just about the architecture or the building.
"More than anything, it’s about the people and what they bring to that environment."
Rob Tuwhare recently began restoring the tiny crib, setting up the Hone Tuwhare Charitable Trust. Once restored, it will be used as a retreat for writers, artists and school groups.
His father, a New Zealand Poet Laureate, died in 2008 aged 85. He spent the last 16 years of his life in the one-bedroom, weatherboard crib after moving to Kaka Point in 1992.
Mr Tuwhare said it was an honour to show Mr Clarke through his father’s home.
"He knows what we’re doing without having to explain too much.
"He’s not into big, obnoxious buildings on the coast."
Mr Clarke said he spent four days in the South Island this week, including visits to Waimumu farmer Fred Booth’s property where Mr Booth converted a paddock to host a Highlanders rugby game and in Te Anau, where he filmed with Fiordland Cinema owner Kim Hollows.
He also made stops at Lawrence, Mt Pisa and Queenstown.
He told Advocate South this week this was only his second visit to New Zealand but he had a great affinity with the country.
He said his uncle emigrated to Dunedin in the 1980s to play football and loved it so much he never returned. Mr Clarke’s grandfather, who inspired his lifelong love of building and architecture, visited his son regularly and often urged Mr Clarke to visit.
A successful architect with his own practice, Mr Clarke also lectured at university and was encouraged by the university to write a book, he told the paper. When considering this he sought out and signed with a literary agent who four days later asked if he would consider auditioning to front a television renovation series.
"I said ‘no’ for about three days," but eventually relented and took the screen test.
Less than a week after signing with the book agent he found himself hired for a television role. Mr Clarke is still passionate about architecture and his practice now boasted its own building company and he was involved in all aspects of property development.
But he admitted that now he also loved television.
- Margot Neas