A week after being shot in the chest by police, actor Rob Mokaraka is talking, eating and anxious to get back to work.
His father Andy Mokaraka said yesterday the 36-year-old was improving daily and was back on solid food.
Mr Mokaraka did not know whether his son had a
punctured lung - as suggested by his flatmate - as a result of last Monday's shooting outside his Pt Chevalier home.
"We can't confirm that, we haven't had a full medical brief. We hope to get something like that today some time. Until then we just don't know," he said.
Rob Mokaraka is in Auckland City Hospital after phoning police last Monday and describing himself as an armed, agitated man in an apparent attempt to engineer his own shooting.
He was subsequently charged - in a bedside court hearing in hospital - with possession of an offensive weapon and assault with a weapon.
Mr Mokaraka was confident his son would come through and said the actor was in good spirits, all things considered. "All he wants to do now is get better, get out of bed and get back to work.
"Yup, he's talking away, but it's hard to talk sometimes because of the pain. He has hoses going out of everywhere, just the normal sort of thing."
He and wife Julie were yet to broach the subject of the shooting.
"We haven't even questioned Rob about the event so we can't really comment about that."
Mr Mokaraka said his son had been overwhelmed with support from friends and family.
