Everyone has a hidden talent. Taranaki man Wayne Herbert figured his out later in life but got pretty darn exceptional at it anyway.
He's a bird carver, with his creations being so lifelike he's been accused of taxidermy.
His normal job sees him and his team turning out bespoke kitchen cabinetry from Wayne's workshop in Inglewood.
To relieve some of the pressure endured at a busy workplace, he took on a hobby.
The talented woodworker has now been carving bird sculptures for three years.
"I can come in here and spend hours and not think about work. I don't think about anything, but what I'm doing here," he told Seven Sharp.
His works - many of which are displayed in his showroom - have had clients doing a double-take.
"I have had customers come in and say ‘who does the taxidermy?’ One guy wondered how I got away with getting all the native birds mounted."
Pre-Covid, Herbert attended a bird carving seminar in the States.
"This is huge overseas, especially in Canada and America, there's only five in NZ I know of who do it, me being one of them."
Small birds take around 60 hours to complete, larger ones, up to 200.
Last year he entered the beginner category of an international carving competition coming second.
"I don't consider anything I do to be 100 per cent, I find fault in everything. If you don't find fault, you don't improve."
Overseas, carvers command huge prices for their works, but Wayne has no ambitions to do the same.
"I'm not looking for work, it's a hobby - if I turned it into a job, I wouldn't enjoy it."
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