Have you ever wondered what’s going on behind that hedge on Napier Road on the outskirts of Havelock North? 

When we arrive it’s just before the members of the Heretaunga Croquet Club come for their regular Monday afternoon session. Stalwarts of the club Carrie and Tom Cooke guide us through the newly reburbished clubrooms and introduce us to club captain Helen Reeves. 

It’s clear that this place is held together through the dedication and hard work of the membership, as one of New Zealand’s largest croquet clubs (nine lawns!) all managed and maintained voluntarily.

Some 150 members use this beautifully manicured community asset, with club sessions five times a week, plus extra events and competitions. And the club is available for corporate and private events too.

We’ve got just enough time before the regulars show up for Tom and Carrie to show us the ropes and offer a lesson. There’s a meditative quality to croquet, Tom tells us. And also to this place. The clean greenery. The balls and boxes and mallets. The orderliness of these items against the perfect lawns, under the huge Hawke’s Bay sky.

So here we go. Choose your grip, stalk the ball, line it up, swing back like a pendulum and keep your head low. Then there is that satisfying “clonk” of mallet on ball. 

For more information on joining the club or making a booking, visit the website: www.sporty.co.nz/HeretaungaCroquetClub 

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