The Rookie stars Melissa O’Neil and Lisseth Chavez surprise Ōtorohanga cafe

Lisseth Chavez (left) and Melissa O’Neil (right) from The Rookie during their visit to the Fat Kiwi Cafe in Ōtorohanga.

A small-town cafe in Waikato had a surprise visit from two big-time actors who star in the hit TV show The Rookie.

Melissa O’Neil and Lisseth Chavez, who play Lucy Chen and Celina Juarez in the American police drama, visited Ōtorohanga’s Fat Kiwi Cafe about 3pm yesterday.

Cafe staffer Nicole Hemara, a big fan of the show, told the Waikato Herald that Chen and Juarez were her favourite characters, so the experience felt “unreal”.

With an hour until closing, Hemara was cleaning up out the back when her manager told her who had walked in.

She was shocked but tried to remain calm and collected.

She eventually gained the confidence to ask how their meal was going and told them she “loved their work”.

Melissa O'Neil plays determined Sergeant Lucy Chen in The Rookie. Photo / Disney, Mike Taing

“I kind of freaked out a little bit ... they were the most lovely people I’ve ever met,” Hemara said.

She said the pair were just like their on-screen characters.

“It was like seeing their characters in real life, it was real crazy.”

Hemara said it was “unexpected” for them to be at the small cafe, especially with plenty of other food options around town.

“I guess we just stood out to them ... It was so unreal.”

Cafe owner Jamiee Poole, whose son’s favourite show is The Rookie, said her staff were buzzing after the visit.

Poole said the pair were really friendly and “just like normal people”.

“They were real down to earth,” she said.

Poole was glad they chose her Waikato cafe to dine in.

“They could have definitely gone anywhere, but we were happy to have them dine with us.

“It was really cool that they came.”

O’Neil has been on the show since season one and her character is now a sergeant, while Chavez joined the show in season five.

O’Neil is in New Zealand for the Armageddon Expo in Auckland this coming weekend.

The Rookie season eight is on TVNZ, with earlier seasons streaming on multiple providers.

Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.