For the April 30 and May 1 holidays this year, various destinations in the north will launch attractive services and hold many festivals to start the summer tourism season after more than two years of "hibernation" due to the epidemic.
The farm land ticks all the boxes but neighbours worry that approving the Christian festival will bring other big events to their quiet Waikato community.
Reviewed by Simon Eden
In 2006 everything changed for New Zealand s Parachute band. Although the Parachute Festival goes from strength to strength, the line up of the festival house band totally changed and the musical direction moved from the soul-tinged pop of old to full-on guitar-driven rock. This album is now the second release from the new line up, Omega Levine (vocals), Sam de Jong (drums), Alister Wood (keys), Rhys Machell (bass), and Simon Moore (guitars). With a sound that fills a stadium, each track comes powering out even in the softer phrases. In Liberty (Hallelujah) is as gentle as a lullaby sung over thousands of God s children, whilst Shout It Out kicks off with a screaming, piercing guitar solo and leads into the obvious raucous chorus. Everlasting was recorded with an African choir in Tanzania, which breaks out from the New Zealand style into a melting pot of cultures that are Technicolor . The great thing is that this worship band aren t trying to be a Kiwi