Spy: Hollywood stars, Melanie Lynskey, Karl Urban and more are home for Christmas

Big-name Kiwi stars have returned to Godzone to enjoy the quintessential Kiwi summer and Christmas. Photo / Supplied

A handful of big-name Kiwi stars have returned to Godzone to enjoy the quintessential Kiwi summer and Christmas with their families.

Melanie Lynskey, Karl Urban, Thomasin McKenzie and Martin Henderson are all set to enjoy the bloom of pōhutukawa trees.

Lynskey, one of New Zealand’s most successful actresses, is home and is understood to be spending the festive season with family in Taranaki. In mid-January, Lynskey will be back at her Hollywood home base for the 75th Prime Time Emmy Awards on January 15, which will be held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

Lynskey has a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress for her performance in Yellowjackets. Photo / Supplied

For the second year in a row, Lynskey has a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in Yellowjackets. The 46-year-old actress is also up for the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series award for her role as Kathleen in The Last of Us. Lynskey is due back in NZ early next year to film Andrew Niccol’s new movie I, Object in Wellington.

Her co-star in the movie, Karl Urban, is said to be returning to his Auckland base from Australia to spend Christmas with his family.

The Boys star has been in Queensland filming Mortal Kombat 2, in which he plays the lead Johnny Cage.

After a busy year living in her new London base, this week JoJo Rabbit star Thomasin McKenzie showed herself on Instagram surprising friends with a visit.

McKenzie is also linked to filming I, Object, as is Jemaine Clement.

Virgin River star Martin Henderson has been enjoying time back in New Zealand and we are told that with the weather getting better, he is likely to extend his stay for Christmas and enjoy time on Great Barrier Island.

Star director Taika Waititi has been showing Aotearoa and its weather at its best this week to his wife, pop star Rita Ora.

Taika Waititi has been showing Aotearoa and its weather at its best this week to his wife. Photo / AP

This week sources told Spy the couple were friendly out and about in Arrowtown. On Monday, Ora showed her more than 16 million Instagram followers the best sights of Lake Wānaka.

There they spent time at Piwakawaka Point Estate — an exclusive luxury villa on a private peninsula.

Last week the couple was spotted shopping in West Auckland and one source tells Spy that Ora kindly posed for a selfie.

All bets are on that Christmas will be spent at Waititi’s new 10.5 million-dollar pad he purchased in Point Chevalier.

Fans of Married at First Sight Australia will be interested to know that expert John Aiken was spotted in Auckland this week.

Aiken has been happily married to Kiwi Kelly Swanson-Roe, a former TV3 and Prime News presenter, for 16 years. It is understood they will spend the Christmas holidays seeing Swanson-Roe’s extended family around the top of the North Island.