Akaroa Bowling Club is a lawn bowls club at 42-46 Rue Jolie in Akaroa, on Banks Peninsula, founded in 1906 when the club land was purchased by Mr George Armstrong for 114 pounds. The club started with 50 members and today has more than 100, describing itself as a friendly local club with a green open to everyone.
Over its long history the club has weathered lighting experiments in the 1920s, the gradual inclusion of women members through the 1950s to 1980, changes to its club colours, and repeated rebuilding of its seaside wall. More recently the club has dealt with earthquake damage in 2010, a clubhouse fire in 2023, and severe flooding in February 2026 that destroyed the green, with a full replacement scheduled to begin in August 2026.
Akaroa Bowling Club welcomes green fee players at any time, and holds regular club days on Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoons from 1.30pm. The clubhouse is also available for hire, and the club is supported by a number of local Akaroa business sponsors.
Sitting on Rue Jolie in the heart of Akaroa, **Akaroa Bowling Club** has a history stretching back to 1906, when the club's land was purchased by Mr George Armstrong for 114 pounds and a club was formed with 50 founding members.
The club's early decades saw a full membership subscription set at 21 shillings a year, with players required to live within 10 miles of the post office to qualify as full members. Lights were installed in 1922 for a one-off tournament and made permanent afterward, though the lighting quality eventually fell out of favour. Women were allowed to play from the mid-1950s, though not on club days, and it wasn't until 1980 that ladies were formally affiliated with the club — today, women are a strong presence at Akaroa Bowling Club.
A clubhouse was built in 1925, with extensions continuing through to 2000. A sea wall built in 1906 to protect the club from the sea has been rebuilt and strengthened four times over the years. The club's colours changed from black, white and gold to dark green and gold in 1937, the same year Sunday bowls was first permitted.
Akaroa Bowling Club has faced more than its share of natural setbacks. A synthetic green installed in 2000 survived severe flooding just two years later, before being replaced by the club's current green in 2014. The 2010 Canterbury earthquake sequence led to major clubhouse renovations, including a large feature glass window offering uninterrupted sea views. A 2023 fire in the green keepers' room caused severe smoke damage throughout the clubhouse, requiring a year of renovations while the club operated out of a portacom.
Most recently, a storm on 16-17 February 2026 brought severe silt-laden flooding to Banks Peninsula, destroying the green once again. A complete replacement is scheduled to begin on 17 August 2026.
Despite these setbacks, Akaroa Bowling Club continues to thrive, with more than 100 members today. The club describes itself as friendly and local, with its green open to everyone — green fee players are welcome anytime. Regular club days are held Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoons from 1.30pm, and the club runs a New to Bowls pathway for anyone wanting to try the sport for the first time.
The club joined the Ellesmere sub union in 1990, having previously been affiliated with Christchurch Bowls (now Canterbury Bowls). Beyond regular play, the clubhouse is available for hire, making it a venue option for local events as well as a home for lawn bowls.
Akaroa Bowling Club is supported by a number of local sponsors, reflecting its place as a long-standing part of the Akaroa community — a town itself founded a decade before Christchurch and known for its French heritage and harbour views.