Whanganui offers two very different kinds of bowling, and it helps to know which one you mean before you head out. Lawn bowls is the outdoor green-and-jack game played at clubs across the city and the wider river district, while ten-pin bowling is the indoor lanes-and-pins game found at one dedicated entertainment centre in town. This guide covers both: where to play, what it costs, what the season looks like, and how an absolute beginner can get started on either surface.
Key Points
- Two sports, one word: “bowling” in Whanganui means either outdoor lawn bowls or indoor ten-pin — they are separate games at separate venues.
- Lawn bowls: eight clubs in the city plus three in the district, all under the Bowls Wanganui centre.
- Ten-pin: one venue, Play2Win, at 126 St Hill Street, with eight lanes.
- Cost to try lawn bowls: often free at open days; full membership is modest and clubs lend bowls to beginners.
- Ten-pin pricing: from $16 per adult per game, with under-15 and family rates.
- Season: outdoor lawn bowls runs roughly October to Easter; Play2Win is open daily, year-round.
Lawn bowls and ten-pin are two separate sports
Lawn bowls and ten-pin bowling share a name but almost nothing else. Lawn bowls is played outdoors on a large, flat grass or synthetic green; players roll weighted bowls that curve as they travel (a built-in lean called bias) to finish as close as possible to a small target ball, the jack. Ten-pin is played indoors on a polished wooden or synthetic lane; players roll a drilled ball at ten pins and score strikes and spares.
In Whanganui the two codes are run by completely different organisations and sit in different parts of town. Lawn bowls is organised through local clubs affiliated to the Bowls Wanganui centre; ten-pin is a commercial activity at a single venue. If you are brand new to the green game, our step-by-step guide on how to play lawn bowls explains the basics before you turn up.
Lawn bowls clubs in Whanganui
Whanganui has eight lawn bowls clubs inside the city, plus three more in the surrounding district, all affiliated to the Bowls Wanganui centre. That is a high number of greens for a city of around 48,000 people, which reflects how long bowls has been played here — several clubs trace their origins back to the early 1900s.
One quirk to know before you search: the city’s name officially became “Whanganui” (with an h) in 2015, but the bowls centre and some clubs still carry the older “Wanganui” spelling in their registered names. Both spellings refer to the same place. The table below lists the clubs and where to find them.
Whanganui Lawn Bowls Clubs
| Club | Area | Street address |
|---|---|---|
| Aramoho | Whanganui city | 7 Gibson Street |
| Durie Hill | Whanganui city | 23 Burtts Road |
| Gonville-Castlecliff | Whanganui city | 15 Caius Avenue |
| Laird Park | Whanganui city | 92 Peat Street |
| Rapanui | Whanganui city | 2a Abbot Street |
| St Johns | Whanganui city | 158 Glasgow Street |
| Wanganui | Whanganui city | 51 Nelson Street |
| Wanganui East | Whanganui city | 34 Helmore Street |
| Marton | Wider district | 3 Hereford Street, Marton |
| Hunterville | Wider district | State Highway 1, Hunterville |
| Waverley | Wider district | Waverley township |
Addresses are a guide only; confirm current details and whether a green is open with the club or the Bowls Wanganui centre before visiting.
Clubs in Whanganui city
Eight clubs sit within the city itself, spread across the main suburbs so most residents have a green within a short drive. They are the Aramoho (7 Gibson Street), Durie Hill (23 Burtts Road), Gonville-Castlecliff (15 Caius Avenue), Laird Park (92 Peat Street), Rapanui (2a Abbot Street), St Johns (158 Glasgow Street), Wanganui (51 Nelson Street) and Wanganui East (34 Helmore Street) clubs. Several run both a natural grass green and a synthetic all-weather green, which lets them keep playing through wet spells when a grass green would be unusable.
Clubs in the wider district
Beyond the city, the Bowls Wanganui centre also takes in clubs in the smaller towns of the region: Marton (3 Hereford Street), Hunterville (on State Highway 1) and Waverley. These are worth knowing if you live out of town or travel for interclub competition, but for most Whanganui residents the eight city clubs will be the practical choice.
Bowls Wanganui: the regional centre
Bowls Wanganui is the governing body that ties the local clubs together, organises interclub competitions and championships, and reports up to the national body, Bowls New Zealand. If you are not sure which club to approach, or you want confirmed, current contact details, the centre and the Bowls New Zealand club finder are the most reliable starting points rather than third-party listings, which can fall out of date. The centre’s name keeps the older “Wanganui” spelling.
How to start lawn bowls in Whanganui
Getting started is easier and cheaper than most people expect, and you do not need to own anything to try it. Here is what a first visit involves.
Can I just turn up?
It is best to make contact first rather than arriving unannounced. Most Whanganui clubs welcome beginners and run open days, “have-a-go” sessions or social twilight bowls over summer, and these are the ideal entry point. A quick call or message to a club — or to the Bowls Wanganui centre — lets them put you with someone who can show you the ropes and make sure a green is free. Many clubs will lend you a set of bowls for a first session, so there is no equipment barrier to trying the game.
What does it cost?
Trying lawn bowls is usually free or low-cost: open days and have-a-go sessions are often run at no charge to attract new members. If you decide to join, full annual membership at a New Zealand club is typically modest compared with most organised sports, and clubs frequently offer discounted or introductory rates for first-year and younger members. Fees vary by club, so ask directly — the club or the centre can give you the current figure.
What do I wear and bring?
The one firm rule is footwear: greens require flat-soled shoes with no heel, to protect the playing surface. Many clubs also run casual “barefoot bowls” social sessions where ordinary flat sports shoes — or bare feet — are fine. Formal club and competition play has a dress code, but you do not need any of that to start. Our guide to the lawn bowls dress code and shoes explains the footwear rule and when whites or club colours apply. If you catch the bug and want your own bowls, see our advice on choosing lawn bowls as a beginner before buying.
When is the season?
Lawn bowls in Whanganui is mainly a summer sport. The outdoor season runs through the warmer months, roughly from October to around Easter, which is when clubs play their championships, pennants and interclub rounds. Over winter many bowlers switch to indoor or short-mat bowls, and some clubs keep synthetic greens open for casual roll-ups. If you want to learn the full competition structure, our overview of the lawn bowls rules covers how games and formats work.
Ten-pin bowling in Whanganui
Whanganui has one dedicated ten-pin venue: Play2Win, in the central city. It is an indoor entertainment centre rather than a competitive sports club, which makes it the go-to for families, birthdays, casual groups and anyone wanting to bowl in any weather.
Where it is and what it has
Play2Win Whanganui is at 126 St Hill Street, in the old Farmers Building, with the bowling upstairs above the arcade and mini golf. It has eight lanes and was the first venue in New Zealand to install the Boost ST pinsetter system, a competition-standard setup. For practice there is a MyShot spare trainer that repeats chosen pin patterns. Upstairs there is a café-style counter and a bar (bar drinks are over-18s only), plus pool tables, shuffleboard and darts while you wait.
Prices and hours
Play2Win publishes per-person pricing: adults pay $16 for one game, $28 for two or $36 for three; under-15s pay $14, $24 or $30; and a family rate (two adults and two children, or one adult and three children) is $55, $90 or $125 for one, two or three games. Opening hours are 10am to 10pm Sunday to Thursday, and 10am to 11pm on Friday and Saturday. Bowling shoes must be worn with socks — you can bring your own or buy them on site — and you can book online or by phone. Prices and hours can change, so confirm before a special trip.
Family and league options
Play2Win runs ten-pin leagues for all skill levels, with a handicap system so newer bowlers can compete fairly, and the lanes have on-screen themes and optional rule tweaks (such as adjusted scoring) to make games easier for young children. If you want to understand frames, strikes and spares before you go, read our plain-English guide to the ten-pin bowling rules.
Lawn bowls or ten-pin: which suits you?
Choose by what you want from the outing. Lawn bowls is outdoor, seasonal, inexpensive to join and strongly club- and community-based; it rewards patience and gentle skill, suits all ages and is easy on the body. Ten-pin is indoor, open year-round in the evenings, priced per game, and better for a spontaneous one-off with friends or children regardless of the weather. Many Whanganui residents do both — lawn bowls as a regular summer club activity, and ten-pin for a rainy-day or birthday outing. For a sense of how other centres compare, see our guide to bowling in Palmerston North just down the road.
Bowling for juniors, families and visitors
Both codes in Whanganui cater well to newcomers of all ages. On the lawn bowls side, several clubs run junior and youth (rangatahi) coaching, and the gentle, low-impact nature of the game makes it popular with older players too — it is one of the few sports where teenagers and retirees regularly compete side by side. Clubs are volunteer-run community hubs with a clubhouse, so joining is as much about the social side as the sport.
For families and visitors who want a casual outing rather than a club commitment, Play2Win is the simpler option: it is in the central city, open daily into the evening, undercover whatever the weather, and set up for children with on-screen themes and family pricing. Travellers passing through Whanganui can bowl ten-pin on the spot, while a lawn-bowls “have-a-go” usually needs a quick call ahead to arrange. If you are visiting with mixed ages and limited time, the central ten-pin venue is the easiest to drop into.
Common mistakes to avoid
A few easy errors catch out newcomers in Whanganui:
- Turning up in the wrong shoes. Lawn bowls greens require flat soles with no heel; ordinary trainers with a raised heel can be refused to protect the surface.
- Arriving at a club unannounced. A green may be booked for competition or closed in wet weather. A quick message first means someone is there to welcome and coach you.
- Confusing the two sports. Searching for “bowling” can send you to a lawn club when you wanted ten-pin, or vice versa — they are separate venues run by separate organisations.
- Assuming you must buy gear. Clubs lend bowls to beginners and Play2Win provides balls, so you can try either code before spending anything.
- Not checking the season or hours. Outdoor lawn bowls is mainly an October-to-Easter activity, while Play2Win keeps set daily hours — plan around both.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How many lawn bowls clubs are there in Whanganui?
There are eight lawn bowls clubs inside Whanganui city — Aramoho, Durie Hill, Gonville-Castlecliff, Laird Park, Rapanui, St Johns, Wanganui and Wanganui East — all affiliated to the Bowls Wanganui centre. Three more clubs, at Marton, Hunterville and Waverley, serve the wider district.
Can beginners just turn up and play lawn bowls?
It is best to contact a club first rather than arrive unannounced, because greens may be booked or closed in wet weather. Most clubs welcome beginners, run open or have-a-go days over summer, lend bowls for a first session, and only ask that you wear flat-soled shoes.
Where can I go ten-pin bowling in Whanganui?
Play2Win Whanganui is the city’s ten-pin venue, at 126 St Hill Street in the old Farmers Building, with the lanes upstairs above the arcade. It has eight lanes, a bar and café counter, and runs leagues as well as casual and family bowling.
Do I need my own equipment to start?
No. Lawn bowls clubs lend bowls to beginners, and Play2Win provides balls for ten-pin. The main thing to sort out is footwear: flat-soled shoes for the lawn green, and bowling shoes worn with socks at Play2Win, which you can hire or buy there.
When does the lawn bowls season run in Whanganui?
The outdoor lawn bowls season runs through the warmer months, roughly October to around Easter, when clubs play their championships and interclub rounds. Over winter many bowlers switch to indoor or short-mat bowls, and some synthetic greens stay open for casual play.
