Honouring a remarkable journey
Waiheke may be best known for its beaches and world-class wines, but you could easily drive past one of the island’s true hidden gems, Club Waiheke.
Yesterday, Waiheke Bowling Club proudly marked its 80th anniversary with a special celebration tournament, bringing members, visitors, and supporters together to honour eight decades of community spirit, resilience, and volunteer effort. The milestone offered the perfect chance to reflect on the club’s remarkable journey from humble beginnings to the thriving social hub it is today.
Humble beginnings, bold vision
The story began in May 1945 with a casual conversation sparking the idea that Surfdale should have its own bowling green. Momentum grew quickly, and a public meeting on 16 June 1945 attracted the club’s first twenty members, each paying a subscription of one pound seven shillings.
With limited funds, no machinery, and a huge task ahead, members set about transforming scrubland into a playable green. Gorse and manuka were cleared by hand, horse-drawn ploughs shifted earth, and three barge loads of topsoil helped form the original seven-rink layout. Each member planted a tree for the grounds, many of which still flourish today.
Innovation, ingenuity & grit
In those early years, fundraising relied on creativity and collective effort. Six of the club’s women formed a jazz band, performing at galas and socials to raise essential funds. An old truck became a mobile raffle station, showcasing donated prizes from supportive local businesses.
The club’s first season opened in 1947 with three playable rinks and a large tent serving as the temporary pavilion. However, the surface soon began to sink, and play was suspended by December.
Building the heart of the club
A permanent clubhouse was started in 1948, forming what is now the Match Committee room. Over the decades that followed, the building was expanded, lifted, shifted, and reshaped by volunteers, creating the welcoming structure recognised today. Cake stalls, raffles, and countless hours of labour continued to fund improvements, with community spirit always at the core of the club’s progress.
Evolution of the greens
The green itself also evolved. One memorable spring produced an unexpectedly thriving crop of watercress. Modern improvements included laser levelling in the 1980s, the introduction of cotula (starweed), and an automatic irrigation system. In the early 1990s, the shift to Astrograss—initially met with scepticism—proved transformative, allowing the green to expand to a full eight rinks and enabling quality winter play. This shift also strengthened ties with bowlers from the former Oneroa Bowling Club, which formally dissolved in 2012.
A legacy celebrated
Yesterday’s celebration tournament honoured who helped shape Waiheke Bowling Club over the past 80 years. What began as a rough hillside cleared by hand has become a valued community facility built on generosity, resilience, and shared pride. Sixteen teams from Waiheke, Carlton Cornwall, Mt Albert, St Heliers, Maraetai, Bowls Auckland, and dedicated travellers from One Tree Point (Northland) enjoyed warm hospitality, three games of bowls, morning tea, lunch, and an entertaining prizegiving accompanied by beautiful local wines.
The Northland travellers, skipped by Skye Renes, claimed top honours with three wins, 21 ends, and +28 shots. Bowls Auckland’s delegates, skipped by Brendon Walton finished a close second with three wins, 21 ends, and +27, while Mt Albert’s Ryan Hawthorne, also a Waiheke resident, secured third, the only other team with three wins. In a controversial twist, Brendon also won the raffle before congratulating the club, on behalf of Bowls Auckland, on its milestone, wishing them continued success in their tight-knit island paradise.
Running a club is no small feat, and the added challenges of island life only heighten appreciation for Waiheke’s dedicated membership. Their collective legacy is captured perfectly in the original 1945 motto:
“It is not how we won or lost, but how we played the game.”
Congratulations to Waiheke Bowling Club on 80 wonderful years, and here’s to many more.