Tauranga's dancing queen Nana Holland dies

Nana Holland celebrating her 85th birthday last year. Photo / Jo Jones

Nana Holland - Tauranga's dancing queen - has taken her last twirl on the dance floor and left the party.

Willy Johanna van Bavel, 86, who was well-known for being Tauranga's favourite groover, died on Monday.

"She came alive when the beat was right ... it would get her pulse going," her youngest daughter Indigo Freya told the Bay of Plenty Times.

Van Bavel immigrated to New Zealand from Holland at the age of 21, her birthplace the reason behind the nickname Nana Holland.

She arrived in the country after a long boat trip with no family but a passion for music.

She moved around the country over the years, married her sweetheart and had three children while taking on odd jobs.

Nana Holland dancing at the Tauranga Jazz Festival. Photo / Supplied

She made the move to Tauranga in her 60s - drawn by the music on offer at the Tauranga Jazz Festival.

When asked how she would describe her mum in three words, Freya laughed as she said she was a stubborn soul but "in a good way".

She was "sassy, colourful and unique" and a true blessing in the lives of those she met, she said.

Although she didn't have "a musical bone in her body" she lived for the beat, she said.

Van Bavel would follow gigs around the country and spent most Friday and Saturday night's grooving to the music being played in Tauranga's bars.

She hardly ever touched alcohol but the music would always take hold and she would be the first on - and the last person off - the dance floor.

Her granddaughter Alix Walles said her oma [Dutch for grandmother] often outdanced her.

She recalled visiting Tauranga to spend New Year's Eve with her oma and her friends and they were at the pub dancing.

Nana Holland celebrating her 85th birthday last year. Photo / Jo Jones

Walles began to feel tired after midnight and was getting ready to leave. She reached out to her grandmother and said it was time to go, to which van Bavel responded: "well, I'll see you later then".

She continued to dance late into the night.

"She was just hilarious ... I learned all my Dutch swear words from her and that's all I know of the language.

"She taught me not to care and just to do what you love in life."

Walles said it was classic of her nana to pass in 2020 as the Jazz Festival was cancelled and the pubs were closed.

"The party got lame, so she left."

In Tauranga, van Bavel looked after the elderly and volunteered at the local youth hostel - making quick friends with whoever she met in the city.

Nana Holland with local musicians Mike Garner and Stu Lawrence. Photo / Sally Garner

One of these was Kim Scanlen, a local music lover.

Scanlen said they connected with their passion for music on a Tauranga dance floor 10 years ago and had some "really, really good times" together.

"I don't know where she got her energy from ... she could dance all night long."

Some of van Bavel's favourite dancing tunes were played at her funeral service yesterday morning.

"She was family to so many in Tauranga."

Willy Johanna van Bavel, 86, who was well-known for being Tauranga's favourite groover, died on Monday. Photo / Supplied

One of her favourite places to dance was at Tauranga's Crown and Badger pub. Staff posted a fitting tribute on their Facebook page to their 'Nana Holland'.

"You graced our dance floors every weekend, came in for coffees and a chat all the time. You touched the lives of so many and we are all going to miss you so much.

"Keep dancing Nana."