After years of reuniting lost loved ones, it was only time before the beloved investigator found someone special to share his life. Photo / Sally Tagg
David Lomas is a sucker for a happy outcome. It's what drives him to do the work he does, tracking down long-lost family members on his TV show David Lomas Investigates.
It's also why he prefers rom-coms to thrillers or mysteries.
"Give me a Hugh Grant movie any day or one with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan," he laughs. "I like happy endings, although they make me cry all the time."
And it's why the journalist is over the moon to have found his own special someone, Auckland primary school principal Clarinda Franklin.
The couple have now been together for five years and David still pinches himself that Clarinda is part of his life. He's adept at keeping his emotions in check on TV, even when faced with reunions that have viewers in floods of tears, but when it comes to talking about Clarinda, he wears his heart on his sleeve.
"I ask myself often, 'How did this happen? Why am I so in love with her?' And I can't explain it – we just get on so well. It's amazing."
The pair were first introduced in a bar after the friends each of them had gone to meet turned out to know each other. David says the attraction was instant, but being the investigative journalist that he is, he did some checking up on Clarinda as soon as he got home.
"It hadn't come up in conversation whether she was available, so I had to make sure she was a single woman," he smiles. "I was very happy to learn that she was."
David, 69, had been on his own after the death of his partner Sue Donald – who was also a producer and researcher on his shows – in 2012.
"When I first met Clarinda, there was this connection. There was something about her that made me want to know her," recalls David. "Now, heading into the sixth year of knowing her, I'm still absolutely captivated by her. She says she is lucky that we met, but I tell her there is no doubt that it is me who is the lucky one. I just totally adore her, which is pretty magic."
He adds, "I think it is perhaps her kindness and decency that really attracts me. At her school, there's a values-based philosophy that she has introduced. It's where the kids are taught understanding, kindness, accountability, respect and integrity. And that describes Clarinda's qualities."
Clarinda says they've never really talked about what the future holds for them because they don't need to. "We just know the future will be us and we will be together."
David admits to being surprised at just how well they get on given that in many ways they're very different. He's into running, ocean swimming (he tries to go every day, even in winter), kayaking and watching rugby, while Clarinda is a Pilates enthusiast, and a keen gardener and cook who enjoys creating beautiful surroundings in her stunning Mediterranean-style beachfront home.
But they do have common interests, such as being keen on keeping healthy, which includes eating organic food where possible and going on long walks. As well as regularly walking the coastal paths near Clarinda's Auckland home, they've tackled the tracks of Abel Tasman, Tongariro Crossing, Rakiura, Routeburn and Pouakai. They've also cycled the Timber, Otago and Hauraki rail trails.
David – who likes to go for a run whenever he arrives in a city where he's filming segments for his show to get a feel for the place, as well as checking out locations suitable for shooting – recently ran the 30km Rakiura Bush Track on Stewart Island because "I wanted challenge".
They're both also fond of more cerebral pursuits, such as reading and doing crosswords, and have become hooked on Wordle.
"Clarinda does better than me," admits David. "She often gets it out in two [lines], which is annoying!"
The couple have separate homes on opposite sides of Auckland's Harbour Bridge, but get together for weekends and holidays, and David spent the lockdowns at Clarinda's North Shore house.
"We actually had the most wonderful time," says David. "I really loved it, just being able to spend that time with Clarinda."
Adds Clarinda, "I think it was really good for our relationship. We got to know each other really well."
Having Clarinda in his life does make the frequent travel required by David's job tougher.
"For a few years, being away so much was good because it kept me busy. Now it's harder to be away so often. But it's fabulous to have someone special to come home to."
After having David around so much thanks to the pandemic, Clarinda's now having to get used to him regularly jetting off overseas for work. They're looking forward to a time when they can travel together for pleasure.
"It's something we want to do when our lives slow down," tells Clarinda. "At the moment, we are both busy with jobs we love, so it's hard fitting things in."
Italy will definitely be on the itinerary. Clarinda has good friends who run tours to the country and she has accompanied them on a couple of trips. She's excited about showing David some of her favourite places. Apart from a Eurorail trip to several big cities over 40 years ago, the only time he's been to Italy was to track down a priest who went missing in Rome.
"There are so many magic places to go," enthuses Clarinda. "The beautiful Amalfi Coast, and Puglia with its history, and Cinque Terre with the amazing houses clinging to the cliffs ... And it would be great to do bike rides through the countryside."
In the meantime, she enjoys hearing about what David gets up to on his trips overseas. He talks to her about what he's working on and says she's a great sounding board.
"I probably go on too much about what I'm doing. She's probably sick to death of me talking about work," says David, who, after 15 years of making shows like David Lomas Investigates, is still incredibly passionate about helping to solve mysteries and reunite families.
"Oh, I'm not," interjects Clarinda. "I enjoy following the stories through, hearing about how it is going and then seeing the outcome. I think what David does is wonderful."
The pair always sit down together to view each episode as it airs and have been watching the series that is currently screening. David admits even though he knows what's coming, he gets just as emotional as viewers who are seeing the story unfold for the first time.
"What we do can be very emotional because you are going on a journey with people that can change their lives. I don't necessarily shed a tear while we are filming because I am always busy working and making sure we are getting what we need for the programme. But when Clarinda and I watch the finished episode together, even though I have been there and gone through it, I do find myself wiping away the tears and saying, 'Oh, this is lovely'."
Getting the current series made came with plenty of challenges thanks to Covid restricting travel.
"We had to put the programme on hold for three months because we couldn't do anything. It was frustrating because there were stories that we were in the middle of doing that we are still trying to resolve. In some cases, we had located the people we were looking for but we couldn't reunite them. I was really worried that something bad would happen to one of the people while we were waiting. In some cases, people here didn't even know we'd made the connection."
It's a relief to have been able to bring some of the stories to completion, but unfortunately not every investigation David tackles has a happy outcome. There are a lot of cases he can't solve because he doesn't have enough information or because there are some people who just don't want to be found.
"There's a story we've been working on for a while now, about two daughters trying to find their father, who was a doting dad until he split up with their mother, and then just disappeared. We cannot find him anywhere and it's sad because they just want to know where their dad is."
Then there are cases where he finds the family member being sought, but they want nothing to do with the person who has asked David to track them down. Other stories never make it on screen because the long-lost person doesn't want to share their life with a TV audience.
David says it's frustrating when that happens and all his hard work comes to nothing. But overall, he gets a huge amount of satisfaction out of being able to change people's lives.
"I feel so lucky that I get to do this," enthuses David. "I see some sad stuff and how it affects people. But there is a lot of good and it's wonderful knowing you have helped someone."
Adds Clarinda, "I'm so proud of David. I have a lot of admiration and respect for him as a person, but I also admire and respect what he does. The joy he brings to so many people is amazing."
David Lomas Investigates screens Wednesdays at 8.40pm on Three
Opinion: Weta collaborations and wide spaces make the possibilities endless, and complex.