The Nukes - Opoutere (Music Video)
We're very delighted to present to you our brand new music video for Ben 'Country Boy' Collier's song Opoutere. This song is very close to Ben's heart as it's largely written about his grandparents. Below is a short story written by Ben with a bit of the background into Bruce and Esmae's journey to Opoutere. In the late 1970’s Bruce and Esmae Collier, eyeing retirement, sold their home in Papamoa and bought a tract of land in the sleepy Coromandel settlement of Opoutere. What was initially a scrubby gully was quickly cleared and gradually transformed by Bruce into a sylvan glade, lush with native plant life designed to attract the local Tui, Kereru and Bellbirds. A cabin was built, followed by a big house and later a cottage to accommodate the regular visits of Bruce and Esmae’s ever growing progeny. Bruce became a popular local figure due to his jovial nature and tireless passion for community projects; cutting and maintaining many walking tracks through the region, redistributing local flora on his frequent long runs around Opoutere (he would literally pull up a Pohutukawa sapling, run a few Kilometres and then re-plant it somewhere he felt was appropriate) and working with (and sometimes against) the local council to improve pedestrian safety in the area. Throughout the 80’s, 90’s and into the new millennium Bruce and Esmae hosted a continuous rotation of family and friends on summer holidays, weekend escapes and meditative retreats. The grandkids always had a place to base themselves on Coromandel surf missions and the fire powered rock spa was always welcome relief (and entertainment) at the end of a long days adventuring. Sadly Bruce and Esmae no longer reside in Opoutere, but for those of us who had our experience of this magical place enriched through their love and charity, the signs of their legacy are plain to see, and as the old saying goes.. Home is where the heart is. - Ben This video was made by the amazingly talented Christian from Wyre Studio. A big thanks to NZ On Air Music for helping to fund this video. Love The Nukes. x
We're very delighted to present to you our brand new music video for Ben 'Country Boy' Collier's song Opoutere. This song is very close to Ben's heart as it's largely written about his grandparents. Below is a short story written by Ben with a bit of the background into Bruce and Esmae's journey to Opoutere. In the late 1970’s Bruce and Esmae Collier, eyeing retirement, sold their home in Papamoa and bought a tract of land in the sleepy Coromandel settlement of Opoutere. What was initially a scrubby gully was quickly cleared and gradually transformed by Bruce into a sylvan glade, lush with native plant life designed to attract the local Tui, Kereru and Bellbirds. A cabin was built, followed by a big house and later a cottage to accommodate the regular visits of Bruce and Esmae’s ever growing progeny. Bruce became a popular local figure due to his jovial nature and tireless passion for community projects; cutting and maintaining many walking tracks through the region, redistributing local flora on his frequent long runs around Opoutere (he would literally pull up a Pohutukawa sapling, run a few Kilometres and then re-plant it somewhere he felt was appropriate) and working with (and sometimes against) the local council to improve pedestrian safety in the area. Throughout the 80’s, 90’s and into the new millennium Bruce and Esmae hosted a continuous rotation of family and friends on summer holidays, weekend escapes and meditative retreats. The grandkids always had a place to base themselves on Coromandel surf missions and the fire powered rock spa was always welcome relief (and entertainment) at the end of a long days adventuring. Sadly Bruce and Esmae no longer reside in Opoutere, but for those of us who had our experience of this magical place enriched through their love and charity, the signs of their legacy are plain to see, and as the old saying goes.. Home is where the heart is. - Ben This video was made by the amazingly talented Christian from Wyre Studio. A big thanks to NZ On Air Music for helping to fund this video. Love The Nukes. x