Nut Point Centre Photo: Supplied / John Allan
John Allan always loved music, but he always hated practising.
That's why Allan makes art out of clay, not from sound. But later in life, he's found a way of tapping into his musical side, thanks to a disused hayshed.
Allan owns Nut Point Centre (Natinati Wāhi Pokapū) on the northern edge of Christchurch, which he describes as a venue for art, nature and music.
It wasn't necessarily his plan when he took over the property, but when Allan stepped inside the hay shed and clapped his hands, he knew he'd found a special acoustic.
These days it hosts regular concerts, the next - due on 19 October - features Christchurch choir Quantum Acoustics.
Allan talked to RNZ Concert host Bryan Crump about hosting musicians in the shed, and his other passion: bringing native trees back to Canterbury.
Along with repurposing an old farm building, Allan is also repurposing a patch of his property back to lowland forest.
The idea, he tells Crump, is to create "green spots" - patches of bush - around the Canterbury Plains.
The more green spots there are, the more birds can live, thrive and spread among them. And the more birds moving around, the more they spread seeds that grow into trees.
John Allan, always seeking new places to plant native trees. Photo: Supplied / John Allan
