The Mangawhai Club sits in the heart of the vibrant coastal town of Mangawhai Heads and has been an integral part of the local fabric since 1953. What began as the Hakaru Bowling Club — founded by a determined group of bowlers who fundraised, secured grants and held countless working bees — is today a chartered club welcoming both members and visitors under one roof for hospitality, sports, fundraising quests and family fun.
The club's story is one of hard graft and steady growth: volunteers levelled a sand dune in Mangawhai Park to create the first bowling green, clubrooms opened in December 1994, a second green followed in 1996, and the club has since added a function room, new offices and foyer, and a pool, darts and gaming room. In 2002 members agreed that becoming a Chartered Club would protect the future of bowls in the area, and in 2018 the men's and women's bowling sections amalgamated as one.
Food and drink are central to club life. The Club Kitchen serves a blackboard menu from 5:30pm Tuesday to Saturday, with a light snack menu on Mondays and Sundays, and a Bit on the Side Menu on Saturdays and Sundays from 2pm to 6pm. The friendly bar staff pour a wide selection of popular beers on tap or by the bottle, along with great New Zealand and local wines, RTDs and spirits.
Beyond the bar, the club is a hub of activity — regular sports, lawn bowls on two greens, pool and darts, live music nights and a full calendar of upcoming events. A courtesy shuttle van runs from 4pm seven days a week, and membership is available for a small fee, promising affordable dining and a relaxed, friendly setting.
The Mangawhai Club sits in the heart of a vibrant coastal town and has been an integral part of the local fabric since 1953. Part chartered club, part community living room, it brings members and visitors together under one roof to enjoy hospitality, sports activities, fundraising quests and family fun. If you're looking for a relaxed place in Mangawhai Heads for a meal, a drink or a night of entertainment, this is where the locals gather.
The club's origins are delightfully humble. In 1953 — the same year Sir Edmund Hillary climbed Everest and Queen Elizabeth II had her Coronation — a small country place called Hakaru saw a dedicated group of bowlers seek grants, fundraise and hold countless working bees to form the Hakaru Bowling Club, ignoring their naysayers along the way.
As Mangawhai grew from a sleepy coastal town, the club made a location shift from country to coast. A big sand dune in Mangawhai Park was levelled by volunteers and turned into bowling green 'A', with the official clubrooms opening in December 1994 and bowling green 'B' completed in 1996. In 2002, members agreed that becoming a Chartered Club would protect the future of bowls in the area, establishing Mangawhai Club Inc. Renaming followed in 2003, and in 2018 the Women's and Men's bowls amalgamated into one club under Mangawhai Bowls Inc.
Physical growth kept pace: a function room, new offices and foyer, a pool, darts and gaming room and new toilets — many built on voluntary hours and elbow grease. It's a club that has never shied away from hard graft.
Good food is a big part of the draw. The Club Kitchen serves a blackboard menu from 5:30pm, Tuesday to Saturday — a lovely excuse to settle in for dinner as the evening unfolds. Mondays and Sundays run on a light snack menu, and weekends bring the Bit on the Side Menu, available Saturdays and Sundays from 2pm to 6pm. The kitchen posts updates on Facebook, so it's worth checking what's on the board before you visit.
The bar holds its own, with friendly staff offering a wide selection of popular beers on tap or by the bottle, some great New Zealand and local wines, and RTDs and spirits. Come and join in for good food and drinks with friends — the setting is relaxed, affordable and warmly local.
What sets the club apart is everything beyond the plate. Two bowling greens carry the club's founding spirit, while the pool, darts and gaming room keep things lively indoors. The club hosts regular sports and activities as well as live music nights, with a calendar of upcoming events on its website for planning your visit.
One of the club's most appreciated services is the courtesy shuttle van, available from 4pm, seven days a week — handy if you're staying nearby and would rather leave the car at home.
The Mangawhai Club is at 219 Molesworth Drive, Mangawhai Heads, and is open seven days a week from 12pm until close. You can call 09 431 5085 or email [email protected] for details.
Membership is open to all for a small fee — and as the club puts it, a small fee promises a big experience: a variety of activities, affordable dining and a relaxed and friendly setting. Visitors are welcome too, whether you're dropping in for a weekend snack, catching a live music night or trying your hand on the greens.
Seven decades on from those first working bees in Hakaru, the club remains what it has always been: a place built by the community, for the community, where the future looks bright.