Croquet - Have a Go days at Kelburn Park

Learn about a new sport and try out your hoop running skills assisted by our friendly club members.

A game of croquet requires, in addition to a lawn with six hoops and a striped centre stick, four balls, and 2 to 4 players each equipped with a mallet.

In the more popular form of croquet, Golf Croquet, players play in a strict sequence, with only one shot per turn. There is a striped stick in the middle of the lawn which shows the sequence.

The traditional form of croquet, Association Croquet, is more complex, as players can score more than one hoop in a turn.

In both Golf Croquet and Association Croquet the aim is to hit your balls through more hoops than your opponent. They, in turn, are trying to do the same and stop you from scoring hoops.

You don't need brute strength, but rat-like cunning may be advantageous. Croquet can be played
socially, as a relaxing past time or as a fiercely competitive game. It is non-contact, and non-gender specific.
All equipment is provided: just dress for the conditions and wear flat-soled footwear. i

Discuss the results of your game over a cuppa in our clubhouse, which was opened in October1924, and enjoy browsing our Heritage Festival display. If you want to learn more about croquet enquire about the options
available after the two free sessions during the Heritage Festival.

Our Heritage display is also open at other times as shown below:

Thursdays 31 October and 7 November 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm
Fridays 1 and 8 November 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm
Sundays 3 and 9 November 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm

Our club was established in 1913, and the display highlights some of the significant moments in our history: beginning with the establishment of a sports club in an area which had been a steep gully only a few years previously.

Following the formation of the club there was the development work necessary to create a thriving club, with opportunities for members to play together and socialise, and also compete against each other and against members of other clubs.

Along the way we have dealt with challenges such as the army occupying our clubhouse during the Second World War when there were concerns about an invasion and an anti-aircraft battery was set up at Kelburn Park.

We see ourselves as part of the Wellington community, so, from time-to-time we host school groups, provide support for the national inclusion project which focusses on the disability community, provide opportunities for work groups to play croquet in a relaxed social setting, and offer free Have a Go sessions which are open to all.

The 2024-25 summer season has just started, and, as well as our usual club days during the week and on weekends, our eight interclub teams are out competing. later in the season there will be a range of other competitions which members can enter, including some which we host.

We are well accustomed to hosting tournaments. In addition to our club competitions, we host tournaments at regional, national and, in 2002 and 2018, international levels.

Connect with your community, learn new skills, and stay active - play croquet.