Three days of music attracted 4000 visitors and pumped $500,000 into the Bay of Islands economy at the annual country rock festival over the weekend. Music enthusiasts converged in Haruru Falls, Waitangi, Russell and Paihia to witness the 46 acts performed by the likes of Australian country rock group Jetty Roadand comedian Owen Blundell. Jetty Road features striking blonde twin sisters Lee and Paula Bowman and instrumentalists Julian Sammut and Simon Ross. The Melbourne-based band's style is often compared to The Corrs, The Dixie Chicks and Faith Hill. It was among more than 40 country rock musicians and bands from Australia and New Zealand that played at the festival. Free shuttle bus services were provided between the venues. Line dancers from throughout the country strutting their stuff on the streets of Paihia and Kawakawa added flavour to the three-day extravaganza. Organising committee member Mike Simm said visitors from mainly the upper half of the South Island, Australia and New Caledonia graced the 18th rock festival. "The weather's been great. There were six paid performances - two each day - attended by about 2500 and then there were street music programmes," he said. "With 4000 people, we estimate they've brought in about half a million dollars of business to town during the off-peak season." The first Bay of Islands Country Music Festival was held at the former Tourist Hotel Corporation Hotel at Waitangi - now called the Copthorne Hotel and Resort Bay of Islands in 1990. Mike Nettmann, resident pianist at the THC Waitangi, saw the potential for a country music festival organised along the same lines as the Bay of Islands Jazz Festival, which he had helped launch in 1985. He got the new festival going with the help of local country music fans and performers Shirley May and Lois Pratt. Fifteen groups and individual musicians turned up for the first show, and the enthusiastic audiences which enjoyed their performances in two rooms at the hotel and on the Fullers boat cruises judged the inaugural Bay of Islands Country Music festival a big success.
