Visitors to the café at Tatapouri may be surprised to learn there’s a bit of star power behind the espresso machine preparing their flat whites and long blacks. Actor and musician Nikita Tu-Bryant is taking some time out of her busy life of touring with her indie-rock band KITA to stop and breathe while also wo-manning the espresso machine.
Her good friend Nathan Foon offered her the job when she told him she was feeling burnt out with performing and needed some time to “reboot”.
The East Coast holds a special place in her heart and she’s been a return visitor to the region for around eight years now.
“I feel like the East Coast always looks after me and that I come here to fix myself,” Nikita says.
“It’s hard to leave though.”
While the summer break was supposed to be a time to put down her guitar, she has already found herself jamming with local artists Bruce Reid (bass) and drummer Matt Gatman from Oceanspace and loving it.
She has been invited to play solo sets at a few upcoming festivals Splore and Coro Summer Fest as well as Shipwrecked in Te Arai so she’s doing a gig this Sunday at Tatapouri Cafe in preparation and also as a way to say thank-you to the community for having her back.
“I wanted to come and hang out in Tairāwhiti and do something normal for a little while — so I got trained up to make coffee,” she says.
“I’ve had a mind-fried year thinking about film, touring and writing, and I just want to do one thing every day and not think about anything else. It turns out making coffee is something where all you can think about is making coffee because it’s quite intense.”
After being self-employed for so long Nikita said she found it quite different to be part of a team in a workplace, but it’s been the balm she needed.
“Last year I got a bit burnt out and jaded. I wanted to have a break from music, but since I’ve been here I’ve started to get excited about music again.
“Outside of KITA I do a lot of songwriting which is quite eclectic I guess. There are folky elements and blues and jazz elements whereas with KITA it’s more psychedelic pop.
“For the first set it’ll just be me and the guitar and then it’ll be a bit more electric (in the 2nd set with Matt and Bruce).
“Most of it will be my songs, but I might add a couple of covers. I don’t usually like to do that, but I’m trying to soften about that. I’ve been enjoying jamming a couple of other people’s tunes this summer. I’m trying not to take myself so seriously.”
Since moving into her caravan at the Tatapouri campground Nikita has been writing a lot of poetry as well as painting.
“The poetry often transforms into songs quite naturally so I might have some new tunes as well.”
In terms of the painting she likes working with acrylics as well as using Chinese calligraphy.
“I’ve got a portable easel that I take with me when I am travelling.”
Nikita was born in Taiwan and moved to New Zealand when she was four years old. She grew up in Auckland and speaks fluent Mandarin.
You may recognise her speaking in her mother tongue on recent TV Drama Far North (Temuera Morrison, Robin Malcolm) as one of the women on the boat.
She also has a film in production called Love Lives Here based on the music of KITA’s recent EP.
It is made up of four parts and features different stories about love told through four different genres, with one narrative running through all four and bringing them together at the very end.
Nathan Foon co-directed part of it, and the friends met when Nikita acted in two of Nathan’s films.
“Nathan is so humble but he does everything — painting, pottery and film-making.
"He has also started a podcast called Artist Anonymous Club where he talks to artists about their creative process.
“Nathan literally offered me the job while he was interviewing me for the podcast. It’s funny how it’s all worked out and how interconnected everything is.”
Nikita Tu-Bryant will be performing this Sunday January 14 at 11am at Tatapouri Cafe, a suggested Koha of $10 for entry.
