Blessed with one of the warmest days in Invercargill’s recent memory, David Hasselhoff and Darby visited Queens Park while filming a segment for an upcoming travel series.
The segment involved four local cafes, The Batch, Cheeky Llama, Brew’d and The Grille, presenting the pair with their house-made cheese rolls for them to decide which was best.
Arriving at park band rotunda, Hasselhoff took time to greet and take photos with the locals who had caught wind of his location — one local woman stealing a peck on the cheek.
He was particularly smitten by a local man’s rottweiler, sharing an anecdote about a rottweiler saving another of his dogs during a coyote attack.
Seated at a banquet table next to the rotunda, Darby introduced the food by its local moniker, "southern sushi", to Hasselhoff, who appeared quite rapt.
The Batch co-owner Kate French served the pair while dressed appropriately as a cheese roll — self-made attire left over from a recent live recording of Jono and Ben at The Batch.
"We've been we've been toasting hundreds of these every day since way back — we’re good for it," she said.
Great South Tourism marketing manager Anke Ruwette, who co-organised the event, said the tasting was less a competition and more about showcasing Southland.
Nevertheless, a winner had to be chosen — although The Hoff and Darby were split on deciding who.
Despite proclaiming the high quality of all four, Hasselhoff opted for Brew’d’s cheese rolls, while Darby, a self-confessed sucker for dress-ups, went for The Batch.
The pair were jovial throughout the filming, both finding opportunities to get a laugh out of the audience.
Mrs Ruwette said it was very exciting to have the pair in Invercargill, and she hoped the show could shine a light on what Southland had to offer.
