World-class petanque hub for North Hagley Park

A new petanque sports hub with a terrain described as the best in New Zealand is about to open in Hagley Park ready to host the Oceania champs later this year.

Before the 2011 earthquakes the Christchurch Petanque Club used the Returned and Services Association Bowling Club as their headquarters with a petanque terrain near Victoria Lake in North Hagley Park.

Members of the Christchurch Petanque Club test out the new petanque terrain.

However the RSA building was demolished in December 2015 because it was potentially earthquake prone.

Replacement grounds have now been built by Christchurch City Council on the site of the former United Bowls Club greens which is accessed from Riccarton Ave. The clubhouse will now be shared by the petanque club and the High School Old Boys Rugby Football Club creating a combined sports hub.

An adjacent 1025 sqm grassed area has also been created for use as a multi-use sports field.

The new terrain, which has a project cost of about $450,000, will be opened with a small club event on Queens Birthday Monday, June 5.

Lease of the land has been granted to the North Hagley Community, Sports and Recreation Trust Board, which the Christchurch Petanque Club has formed with the High School Old Boys Rugby Football Club and the United Croquet Club. 

Until 2011 the Christchurch club was the largest in New Zealand, but after six years without a club house its numbers have fallen. Club Spokesman John Targett says the new world-class facility will certainly boost interest in the sport and local membership. 

“It’s extremely exciting. This will be the best petanque terrain in New Zealand by far. It’s a superb facility. The way that it’s going to be laid out and sharing the clubhouse with the rugby club makes the whole hub so much more sustainable long term.

“We’ll be able to actively promote the club and petanque locally again because we've got somewhere special for people to try petanque in a friendly, welcoming environment.”

Petanque is played recreationally and competitively throughout New Zealand. As a sport it is much more lively and challenging than most people realise, Mr Targett says. The age of club members ranges from late 20s up to an “extremely fit” 84-year-old. Twelve members are French and one female player is from Thailand.

“It’s an exciting sport once you understand that there’s more to it than holding a glass of wine in your hand and throwing a ball. We encourage people to find out more on our website and then come along and give it a go,” he says.

The new grounds include 24 four-metre wide pistes of varying degrees of difficulty with landscaped surroundings, storage sheds, lighting, and a shelter formed by a modern shade structure. 

Council Senior Project Co-ordinator Jenefer Pineda Verhoogh says it is pleased to have found a solution to re-home the Christchurch Petanque Club by sharing the facilities with the High School Old Boys Rugby Football Club. "This way we avoided having another building at Hagley Park and we could focus on providing a high standard playing area that can serve the club and park users for years to come."

The Oceania Championship 2017, from October 24 to 30, will be held at the new Hagley Park terrain. A qualifying event for the Petanque World Championships, it is the first time it's been held in Christchurch, and only the second time the Oceania competition has come to New Zealand. It’s expected that 78 players and a few hundred supporters and officials will arrive in the city for the event.

The six nations involved are Tahiti, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Australia, the Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands, and New Zealand.