Mr Parr (53), who has already won five Emmys for his production roles with the hit reality series The Amazing Race, emigrated to New Zealand from Britain in 2000, settling first in Whangarei, before moving to Arrowtown with his wife and children six years ago.
"The Wakatipu is simply one of the most beautiful places in the world, and though my wife and I split our time these days between home and an apartment in Los Angeles, Arrowtown is where our hearts belong," he insists.
He was working in South Africa on a webcast show, filming both a competition with representatives from each of the 32 World Cup qualifying countries based in a house near Cape Town, and filming football matches.
He attended all the Cape Town matches, and was with a crew filming last Sunday night's final at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg.
"These are the first soccer matches I have been to for more than 30 years, and although I prefer watching the All Blacks, I have to say it's been a great experience.
South Africa has staged a great tournament," he said.
"Let's hope we can put on a similar show in New Zealand next year, for the Rugby World Cup."
Mr Parr says his latest Emmy nomination is "pretty cool" and while he has already won five awards for the same show, he insists every award is special.
"Each cycle of this show - and we have just finished filming our 17th consecutive race around the world - is different in character, so each nomination is distinct. There's a collective buzz that affects the whole production crew and, of course, the contestants themselves."
The large global crew putting the show together gets most of the credit from Parr.
"At a personal level, I am delighted for the unsung heroes of the piece, our editors, drivers, assistants and the whole myriad of people that contribute to a show of this scale.
An Emmy nomination for the Race reflects great credit on these people for their support and commitment over the years," he said.
Mr Parr is a decorated former member of the British Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment and is known for his role as host of the History Channel show Shadow Force.
The 62nd Emmy Awards will be hosted by Jimmy Fallon, and is set to air on August 29.
