Dark Destroyer swoops into Kevin Hickman Village

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It was a fleeting but memorable visit from Shaun Wallace, also known as The Dark Destroyer from The Chase, to Ryman’s Kevin Hickman Village.

Shaun felt the time crunch as he completed a rapid-fire Q&A and a round of photos with residents before he had to leave to catch his plane to Nelson.

Despite a very busy schedule in New Zealand, Shaun was determined to fit in a visit to a Ryman village, and the residents were thrilled to meet him.

“I am always warmly greeted by people as The Chase is a phenomenal success over here and the visits are actually my way of saying thank you,” Shaun said.

“I’ve just been told that this is a brand-new village, having opened in June, and it looks absolutely fantastic! I hope you will have a fantastic time here.”

Shaun was put on the spot as one resident requested a poem.

“You caught me on the hop there,” Shaun laughed.

“I promise next time I’ll come prepared.”

The TV star is in the country to raise money for Cure Kids, a cause close to his heart.

“So far we have raised $37,000, which is amazing. Hopefully we can raise as much money this year as possible and break our record, which was over a quarter of a million New Zealand dollars.”

Cure Kids supports thousands of Kiwi children living with serious health conditions.

Resident Experience Lead Cathy Byrne was also pleased to meet one of her favourite Chasers.

"I'm very grateful to Brendan from Believe it or Not Quizzes for arranging Shaun to visit our Kevin Hickman Village,” she said.

“The Chase is a very popular show in NZ and particularly with our residents, so I knew a visit from him would be an absolute hit!”

“Watching the excitement on the residents' faces as they went to the village centre to prepare for his arrival and during his visit was a joy and is exactly the type of experience we love to provide.”

Even though the meeting was brief, residents couldn’t be happier to have had the opportunity to meet Shaun in person.

“My grandchildren won’t believe it! I can’t wait to share the photos with them,” said a smiling resident Margaret as she went to get morning tea.