Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post 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
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

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

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

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 / Rotorua Daily Post

Nikki Pocock a late bloomer

By Dee Wilsonnews@dailypost co nz
Rotorua Daily Post·
23 Jan, 2014 07:09 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

LOCAL GIG: Singer/songwriter Nikki Pocock will be returning to her hometown of Taupo to perform with The Huneybee Wild at the Lake Taupo Food and Beer Festival tomorrow. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

LOCAL GIG: Singer/songwriter Nikki Pocock will be returning to her hometown of Taupo to perform with The Huneybee Wild at the Lake Taupo Food and Beer Festival tomorrow. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

When former Taupo florist Nikki Pocock shifted to Ohope seven years ago with her children she could barely play a guitar, had never sung in public or written any original music scores.

But tomorrow the 36-year-old mother of two will be returning to Taupo with her band The Huneybee Wild as a feature act at the inaugural Lake Taupo Food and Beer Festival on the Tongariro domain.

The band will be performing with Nikki's uncle, well-known Taupo musician Bazz Thatcher - Unkle Bazz - who Nikki says was largely responsible for launching her singing/songwriting career.

Although Nikki was 29 when she found her voice and started dabbling with the guitar there are musicians on both sides of her family. She says her uncle was always a source of inspiration.

"He'd been a musician since high school, always playing music, and I looked up to him hugely.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Nikki says the music in her "really started coming out" after she shifted to Ohope, but by choice she restricted performances to family outings.

"Until I was 29 I really didn't even know I could sing and it took me a couple of years to believe in myself."

The turning point came when her uncle persuaded her to play eight songs at a gig in Taupo six years ago, including some original material she had written.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Her performance was well received and she returned to Ohope with new confidence and formed a three piece band - Teatree - which performed a mix of original and popular acoustic folk rock music at events around the Bay of Plenty. The band also opened a gig at The Little Theatre in Whakatane in 2009 for the release of an album by Whakatane musician Tait Kora.

When one of the Teatree band members shifted to Christchurch two years ago, Nikki and percussionist Pea Murray joined forces with experienced Bay of Plenty singer/songwriter Elise Adlam to form The Huneybee Wild.

Nikki says the band plays a mix of original and popular songs that she describes as "acoustic folk roots reggae". She also performs with Tai Kora's Kora band at festivals and events in the Bay of Plenty.

The festival kicks off tomorrow at midday and runs until 5pm.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Rotorua Daily Post

Bustles, ballgowns and bustiers: Why costumiers get bitten by the cosplay bug

25 Jun 05:00 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Home & Lifestyle Show returns

20 Jun 04:00 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

How to celebrate Matariki in Rotorua

19 Jun 05:01 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Bustles, ballgowns and bustiers: Why costumiers get bitten by the cosplay bug

Bustles, ballgowns and bustiers: Why costumiers get bitten by the cosplay bug

25 Jun 05:00 AM

Costumiers will wear their finest garments at a fantasy event in Rotorua next month.

Rotorua Home & Lifestyle Show returns

Rotorua Home & Lifestyle Show returns

20 Jun 04:00 PM
How to celebrate Matariki in Rotorua

How to celebrate Matariki in Rotorua

19 Jun 05:01 AM
Watch: Monteith’s Wild Food Challenge final returns to Auckland after 11 year hiatus

Watch: Monteith’s Wild Food Challenge final returns to Auckland after 11 year hiatus

18 Jun 06:32 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

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
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • 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