Raggamuffin Roadtrip hits Rotorua

It may have been a compact and indoor version of Rotorua's annual Raggamuffin festival but the good vibes, dancing and great music were all there in force.

As a mid-year Raggamuffin fix for Rotorua, the Raggamuffin Roadtrip hit the city last night treating reggae fans to a mix of national and international reggae performers.

International reggae artists J Boog, Fiji, Spawnbreezie, Hot Rain and Peetah Morgan (Morgan Heritage) took to the stage in Rotorua as part of the tour, which also visited venues in Auckland, Christchurch, Porirua and Hastings. Top New Zealand acts Sons of Zion and Soljah also joined the line-up.

Spawnbreezie was a crowd favourite and talked about his love of the city's fish and chips. He sang three songs - his hits I'm In Love, Oh My Goodness and Don't Let Go.

The Rotorua concert was the final stop of the tour and hundreds of people turned out to be part of the event. But it was 6-year-old Nevis Van Schadewijk who really stood out from the crowd. It was Nevis' first concert and not only did he enjoy it, he made his mark, getting on stage to take part in a dancing competition in between sets. He danced to Cali Swag District's Teach Me How to Dougie and won a T-shirt for his efforts. "I didn't think I was going to win anything," Nevis told The Daily Post.

His mum, Michelle Van Schadewijk, said Nevis loved singing and dancing and reggae music and he really wanted to go to the Raggamuffin Roadtrip - especially to see Spawnbreezie and J Boog.

"He absolutely loves it, we listen to reggae all the time," Miss Van Schadewijk said. "He wanted to enter the dance competition ... they let him go up [on stage], he was all good."

Nevis continued his dancing among the crowd where people cheered him on and took photos.

"It's really fun and I can learn lots of new moves," Nevis told The Daily Post. "It's great for me."