Hi Folks
On Sunday the 14th May we flew out to Norfolk Island with a group of 25 people on our 10th anniversary Personalised and Exclusive Norfolk Island Country Music Festival Tour 2017. Well we actually flew out with 22 people as we had 3 of the group flying in from Australia. One Kiwi and 2 of our Aussie friends that would become honorary Kiwis for the week. We also had Annette’s nephew, Alex, joining us again in 2017. There’s no show without Punch. We also had Des and Sharon Fatt with us who were also celebrating their 10th trip with us to Norfolk Island. Little did anyone know that 2008 would be the beginning of a 10 year association with Norfolk Island and the descendants of the Bounty Mutiny. It has been an amazing journey in our lives.
Once everyone was settled in to their accommodation we all gathered at the Paradise Hotel and Resort for our welcome dinner with entertainment from our good friend and local entertainer Lully Nobbs. It was a great evening and an excellent way to kick off the festival.
On Monday morning we were up early for our exclusive Norfolk Today Tour with Baunti Escapes. We had designed a tour which covered over 80 % of the island and included the roofs of Cascade Rd, Two Chimneys Rd, Rooty Hill Rd and Queen Elizabeth ll Lookout, Kingston, Quality Row, Bloody Bridge, Lone Pine and Emily Bay, Mt Pitt with a talk from the Norfolk Island Parks Dept, lunch at Captain Cook memorial, pottery demo from Steve Ryves, gospel singing at St Barnabas Chapel and home via Headstone and Hundred Acre Reserve. We must thank everyone at Baunti for helping us with the tour especially our wonderful drivers, Rachelle and Lynn and Rebecca from The Travel Centre. This tour gave the group a taste of Norfolk Island and what it has to offer.
Tuesday morning was our usual mini golf competition with everyone enjoying a fun and hilarious morning and getting into the team spirit. A lovely morning tea was once again supplied by Agnes and her team. We hope everyone enjoyed receiving our new cd “The Best of Annette and Kim” and the commemorative 10th anniversary plaque made from native Norfolk Pine in their gift packs. Congratulations to David Krebs the individual winner on the day and also to Elaine Mitchell and Elain Foster 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Tuesday evening we were all taken to the South Pacific Resort for the Island Fish Fry due to the possibility of inclement weather at Puppy’s Point.
Entertainment was provided by Pitcairn descendant, Trent Christian, with a dance demo by the Tahitian dancers. Plenty of fish was supplied for the evening dinner with no one going hungry. Full tummies all round.
Wednesday and Thursday were free days for the group to explore the island and for those with passes to join in with the NICMA activities. Those that wished to joined Annette and I at the RSL for our Wednesday twilight gig did so before heading off to the Trans-Tasman EOY Awards which we will cover later.
Friday we were all booked in for lunch at the RSL where Annette and I entertained once again. We would like to thank Terence and his staff at the RSL for their great work and for inviting us to perform. Thank you also to all the local islanders that came to hear us. Over the years we have built a great friendship with many of the locals and we really do appreciate your support. Playing at the RSL also gives us a chance to catch up with some of our Aussie friends that we only get to see at the festival or when we venture to some of the Australian festivals.
Friday evening was our farewell dinner at the pirate themed Jolly Roger restaurant with entertainment by Craig Stewart. Craig writes a lot of bush ballads and is a regular performer at many Australian festivals. The ship and the evening was well run by a young friend of ours Sophie Harris and her team. It was an awesome way to finish the week.
Saturday morning was again a free morning for the group with a couple of them taking advantage of the Pitcairn Settlers Village tour option. The afternoon saw us all gather at the Crown Motel departure lounge, kindly supplied by Wendy and Lee, for a wine and cheese afternoon and a bit of a wind down and group sing a long after a very busy week. It was also time to say goodbye to our Aussie friends, Doreen and Colin, who were heading back to Australia on the Brisbane flight. The rest of us would head back home on Sunday morning.
NICMA had organised a full week of music for all attending the festival. Monday evening was the NZ showcase with Headliner, Jody Direen, supported by Midnite Special (Lex and Michelle Greaves and Robert Katipa jr ), Kelvin Cummings 2016 Trans-Tasman winner and Laura Lowe 2016 Intermediate NZCMA Entertainer of the Year. With backing by the Huckleberries and Echo in Harmony who also handled the M.C. duties.
Tuesday evening was the Aussie showcase with Headliner Shane Nicholson and featuring Georgia White, Drew McAlister and Warren H Williams And Dani Young backed by Tonally Functional featuring the amazing Michel Rose on Pedal Steel. The show was M.Ced by Aussie duo Nielly Rich.
Wednesday was the gospel show held at All Saints Church Kingston for platinum and gold pass holders which featured most of the contracted artists and which Annette and I were kindly asked to perform on. This gave us a chance to try out some of the songs we would like to record on a Gospel album at some stage. Wednesday evening was the ever popular Trans-Tasman competition. All the competitors did a great job with the winner on the night being Mason Hope from Australia with runner up going to Kiwi Keith Pereira.
Next year will be the 25th anniversary of the festival so don’t be late booking if you wish to celebrate this milestone.
Annette and I will also be taking a tour to Norfolk Island in January 2018. This is the “Count Us In” Music Tour with Alan and Maureen Webster from Australia. It’s going to be a great week of music and mayhem so don’t delay if you want to join us for this tour. Norfolk Air will be chartering a direct flight for Kiwi travellers. Please contact us if you would like a tour package or go to our web page to view the package.
Once again thank you to everyone that joined us on Norfolk Island for our 10th tour. We hope you had a great time and enjoyed the island and the many wonderful things it has to offer. We look forward to catching up with you all somewhere sometime on our country music journey.
Take care and keep it country.
Best wishes
Annette and Kim
