Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Rotorua quarantine: Isolating Kiwis treated to free balcony concert

Caroline Fleming
By Caroline Fleming
Multimedia Journalist·Rotorua Daily Post·
12 Jul, 2020 10:53 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Chris Webber serenades Kiwis' in quarantine

Kiwis isolating in a Rotorua hotel clapped and danced from the safety of their balconies as a local muso serenaded them at sunset.

Musician Chris Webber headed down to Sulphur Point at sunset yesterday in his van kitted out with speakers to give a "balcony concert" to those stuck in quarantine at Rotorua's Sudima Hotel.

"They are still us, I wanted to make them feel welcome," Webber told the Rotorua Daily Post.

Chris Webber serenaded isolating Kiwis in Rotorua on Sunday night. Photo / Supplied
Chris Webber serenaded isolating Kiwis in Rotorua on Sunday night. Photo / Supplied

He had the idea when it was first announced that people would be quarantined in Rotorua.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"There was so much negativity around... I wanted to keep the manaakitanga of the city alive."

A few weekends of rain had hindered Webber from heading down earlier, but he got dressed up warm to head down yesterday.

Webber's style of Spanish guitar wowed the balcony audience with many clapping along and dancing to the sweet tunes.

Chris Webber serenaded isolating Kiwis in Rotorua on Sunday night. Photo / Supplied
Chris Webber serenaded isolating Kiwis in Rotorua on Sunday night. Photo / Supplied

He said if the weather had been warmer, he would have played for about an hour but instead wrapped up after 20 minutes as he did not want them freezing in the cold.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"They seemed pretty rapt... hotel staff and security guards were giving me the thumbs up too. I knew it was a good idea, it just felt right."

He even talked a passerby into holding his microphone while he sang a few ballads in both te reo Māori and English.

His final song centred heavily around spreading the love, which was a message he wanted the people to hear, he said.

"They need to feel the love right now."

Discover more

New Zealand|politics

No new Covid cases, travellers now get 19-page hotel rulebook

13 Jul 01:56 AM

Woman appears in court for sneaking on to isolation hotel

13 Aug 02:25 AM
Local musician Chris Webber. Photo / File
Local musician Chris Webber. Photo / File

He said he had wanted to do it for people quarantined at the Ibis Hotel but they did not have balconies.

"I might do it again, maybe even next weekend if anyone else wants to jam."

Webber was a professional musician but this had "tailed off" a bit over Covid-19, he said.

He performed a lot of local gigs and was well-known in the music community.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

New sculpture for Tauranga: Artist chosen for bold six-figure CBD artwork

08 Jul 06:00 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

'It was unreal': Orca pod amazes Tauranga jetskier near Whangamatā

08 Jul 04:03 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

BoP shooting happened at 'private dwelling', suspect still wanted

08 Jul 01:36 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

New sculpture for Tauranga: Artist chosen for bold six-figure CBD artwork

New sculpture for Tauranga: Artist chosen for bold six-figure CBD artwork

08 Jul 06:00 PM

Paul Darragh's piece comes after 7m steel sculpture installed in Red Square last year.

'It was unreal': Orca pod amazes Tauranga jetskier near Whangamatā

'It was unreal': Orca pod amazes Tauranga jetskier near Whangamatā

08 Jul 04:03 AM
BoP shooting happened at 'private dwelling', suspect still wanted

BoP shooting happened at 'private dwelling', suspect still wanted

08 Jul 01:36 AM
Boat in perilous position in Tauranga Harbour

Boat in perilous position in Tauranga Harbour

08 Jul 01:04 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP