The Midlands Herald Page 17 — 4th July 2007

The Nest Drakensberg Mountain

Resort Hotel and Conference Centre
sive new conference
centre and have re-

S et in the scenic majesty of the

uKhalhamba–Drakensberg World
Heritage Site in the Champagne
Valley of the Central Drakensberg, the
ceived many en-
quiries and book-
ings from compa-
nies and indi-
Ridge Bird of Prey Sanctuary.
The nearby Spionkop Nature Reserve of-
fers an idyllic wildlife experience.
Also popular are the many Anglo-Boer
Nest Hotel and Conference Resort is an viduals for cor- War battle sites in our region that show
ideal place to explore this unique part of porate events, wed- great insight into this famous period of our
KwaZulu- dings and history.
Natal. ban-quet The Nest is a well-established Drak-
The area was din-ners. ensberg Resort Hotel in the old tradition
declared a World T h e of service.
Heritage Site in double-
December 2000 vo l u m e Below: Beautiful views — spectacular Cathkin
in recognition of Ukha- Peak and Champagne Castle from the pool.
both the astound- hlamba
ing natural and Hall pro-
fascinating cul- vides the Above: The Nest Resort’s banqueting team is experienced in theme
tural richness of i d e a l menus and will work closely with guests to achieve the ideal event.
this most beauti- space for
ful part of South all types of business related con- berg location to witness a spectacular African
Africa. ference and seminar solutions. sunset over the mighty Drakensberg.
The Nest There are three break-out rooms, We have two 150 m2 executive suites that
kitchen is very Above: At the Nest accommodation a Bar Lounge area, outdoor terraces offer a large bedroom with king size bed,
well known, serv- ranges from the beautiful Premier and banqueting kitchen. vanity area, large bathroom with shower, his
ing tasty South Garden Rondavels to the comfortable Accommodation ranges from the & hers basins and jacuzzi bath.
Garden Rondavels.
African home- beautiful Premier Garden Each suite has a generous lounge with fire-
cooked meals from only the best local in- Rondavels to Mountain View rooms offer- place, flat screen TV, DSTV, air condition- Guests are encouraged to either take ad-
gredients. ing spectacular vistas, and the comfortable ing, mini bar and many other great features. vantage of the many leisure options avail-
Six-course dinners are well suited to a Garden Rondavels. There are many team-building options able at the hotel and in our area, or to sim-
selection of excellent local South African All rooms are en-suite and have tea/cof- available such as river rafting and orienteer- ply relax on the front verandah or lawn and
wines available from our cellar to compli- fee making facilities. ing, guided hikes, mini bowls tournament take in the scenic majesty of the
ment your meal. We offer a host of activities, such as daily and more. Drakensberg.
Our banqueting team is experienced in guided hikes, bowls, tennis, croquet, horse- The surrounding area is home to the world Telephone 036-468 1068
theme menus and will work closely with you riding, large screen DStv lounge and much famous Drakensberg Boys’ Choir, Ardmore Fax 036-468 1390
to achieve your ideal event. more. Pottery Studio, excellent bird watching, arts thenest@thenest.co.za
We have recently completed our impres- Our beautiful colonial verandah is the best and crafts, golf and the fascinating Falcon www.thenest.co.za

The Sounds of Splashy Zinkplaat lend their charm

An interesting group making its first ap-
pearance at Splashy Fen this year was the they were looked after by the festival organ-
Afrikaans four-piece from Stellenbosch, isers, who went out of their way to assist
Zinkplaat. with their accommodation.
The band is Bertie Coetzee (lead vocalist “We were impressed with the size of the
and guitar), Basson Laubscher (lead guitar), festival, and the effort people take to get
Beitel van der Merwe ((bass guitar) and Beer there, and the wide range of ages,” drum-
Adriaanse (drums). mer Beer said. “In Cape Town you would
The university students were both articu- never have a festival more than 2 500.”
late and charming — and amazed at the “Plaasgeraas”
beauty of our Natal Midlands, where they The boys are ambitious to create a new
had never been before. style of music, and plan to turn professional
They also expressed gratitude for the way next year, and move upcountry where it all
happens. And like the Beatles they are aim-
ing at short-term goals, taking each one step
by step.
“Our four band members all come from
four different styles of music. It was very
difficult when we first started, bringing
punk, rock and ballads together.”
“In the early days someone called our
music ‘plaasgeraas’!” (“farm noise”).
Their lead singer, who hails from tiny
Prieska in the northern Cape, was the first
to write songs for them, and this gave the
band an immediate rural identity, with com-
mentary on donkey carts, farm life and the
characters that he grew up with.
Later, other members started bringing
forward their own compositions.
Left: Former Pietermaritzburg boy, now of
Cape Town, Rory Eliot made a well-received
and emotional appearance at Splashy in April.
Following the end of the duo Plush, with the
death last year of his longtime fellow guitarist
Chas Smit, he took a six-month break and is
now working with his new band the Reason.
to festival
Recording third album
“With the third album we’re starting to
mature,” Beer said.
Zinkplaat found themselves in the right
place two years ago when MK89, the DStv
channel that plays Afrikaans music videos,
started up.
“We were young enough to be part of that.
By then we’d had the tough years travelling
around in a bakkie playing small towns.
“That’s why our videos have gone down
well. We’ve approached things independently
and that’s helped. We try to be unique.”
For now, they’re in the studio this week
recording 12 or 13 songs for their third CD,
tentatively entitled Die Wolwe Baklei.
Attractive melodies,
classy performance Above: Zinkplaat’s Basson Laubscher and Bertie
At their first Splashy appearance on stage Coetzee in concert at Splashy Fen this year.
at 4 pm the following afternoon, a couple of
hundred music fans were waiting to see what- sing in the Afrikaans guttural pronuncia-
ever came up on the programme. tion, something they’re trying to overcome,
Zinkplaat immediately creates— as they and in this they appear to be succeeding.
had promised —an easy-going, friendly vibe In summary, I’d also heard “Polisiekar”
on stage. True to their normal performance, at Splashy last year. For my money,
lead singer Bertie spoke throughout in Zinkplaat have far more class, are infinitely
Afrikaans but started out politely in English better and are much more sensitive in their
to welcome everyone and thank them for their musical expression.
attendance. I found “Polisiekar” very bland, beyond
Despite their longer goal of creating some- the controversy of their name and rebellious
thing different, at this stage I’d simply say image — in fact, it’s a bit like comparing
it is straight-up rock or pop. They played the Rolling Stones to the Beatles.
eight or nine songs — all full of attractive Zinkplaat may not be regular visitors to
melodies that you can go away humming. our parts but this charming and interesting
During our discussion the previous day, group left an enduring impression.
they had agreed that it can be difficult to Russell Barnes