It's Rotorua Blues Festival time again this weekend. The three-day action-packed blues music feast will see international, national and local acts keep those in Rotorua entertained over three days at different venues around the city. But this year they have a secret weapon who is guaranteed to wow the crowd.
Nikau Grace Chater to unleash her talent at Rotorua Blues Festival
Nikau Grace Chater will debut at the Rotorua Blues Festival this weekend. Photo / Stephen Parker
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So much so, she's the only youngster who has been given her own "spot" at the festival, performing a 45-minute set at the Eat Streat Street Party at 1pm tomorrow and from 7pm on Sunday at Barcode.
The festival has been running most years since the BOP Blues Club's inception in 2006.
This year there will be 27 different acts playing at 10 different venues around Rotorua, most of which are free.
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The acts include Kiwi blues god Midge Marsden, who will perform on Saturday night at the Rotorua Citizen's Club at 9pm, and Australian acts Wizard and Oz, Andy Phillips and Rion Lydon.
There will be plenty of local favourites including Hammer On, Mike Garner Trio, B-Side Boys and the Lloyd Akroyd Band.
All the acts have a different timeslot with the idea being the blues fans can walk between the venues in the central city area soaking up different live performances.
The venues include Ambrosia, Brew Bar, The Social Club, Rotorua Citizen's Club, Barcode and Side Pocket and begin from about 5pm, with tomorrow and Sunday night's entertainment going through until midnight.
The ticketed events include two two-hour Lakeland Queen cruises tomorrow and Sunday, both from 3pm, featuring Wizard and Oz tomorrow and Mike Garner Trio on Sunday.
The festival officially starts todayat Rotorua Intermediate School with a special blues workshop with Rion Lydon where youngsters get the chance to spend two hours with the guitar master learning some hot blues licks.
Nikau told the Rotorua Daily Post she was excited to have been asked to perform her own sets.
She said she had been singing for as long as she could remember.
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"Mum said I could sing before I could walk."
Despite her natural gift, the wise youngster has a back-up plan.
"I want to be a singer first, but my plan B is to be a vet and a Silver Fern netball player."
Her school music teacher, Rob Powley, said Nikau was a talented youngster from Kawerau who had set aside her other talent of horse riding to move to Rotorua to go to school at Rotorua Intermediate to further her music ambitions.
"She's so talented in so many areas, but she opted to come here which is a pretty cool sacrifice."
Powley, who introduced her to blues music, believes there are great things in her future.
"Her voice has got soul and is really mature for her age."
BOP Blues Club president Noel Lamberton said asking Nikau to perform at the festival was a no-brainer.
"The first time we heard her she blew the whole room away."
Lamberton said he knew she would help make the festival the success it had always been.
"People come from all over to Rotorua just for this festival. Queen's Birthday has traditionally been a quiet weekend in Rotorua but the festival has turned that around and now it's one of the busiest, especially for Eat Streat."
Festival director Di Riddel encouraged people to come along and hear Nikau as well as the other acts. She said the Blues Cruises on the Lakeland Queen were well worth the experience and should be supported.
For a full run down of the programme, go to the Rotorua Blues Festival Facebook page.
