The Pukekohe Cosmopolitan Club is a members' club on Nelson Street in the heart of Pukekohe, open seven days a week and closed only on Christmas Day. Part restaurant, part sports club, part entertainment venue, it brings an unusually broad range of facilities together under one roof — a restaurant and bistro, a members-only Workers Bar, a Main Lounge and Sports Bar, ten pin bowling, TAB and gaming facilities, and sports on the big screen.
Food is served Wednesday to Sunday from midday, with the Restaurant and Bistro trading until 7 pm on most days and until 8 pm Thursday to Saturday. Tuesdays bring happy hour from 5 pm to 6 pm, and the club's 17 gaming machines, TAB facilities and rugby and league tipping competitions keep things lively around them. Traditional club sports — darts, indoor and lawn bowls, snooker and 8 ball — are well supported, with a pool competition every Friday night that anyone can join and regular, popular Housie sessions.
The club's sections read like a catalogue of pastimes: fishing, mahjong, clay target shooting, euchre, golf, rugby, netball, pigeon racing, horse racing and more, alongside its bowls, cue sports and ten pin facilities. Affiliated with Clubs New Zealand, it welcomes visiting members from affiliated clubs around the country, who are invited to take part in any of the activities on offer.
It is a family club at heart — members' and guests' children are welcome away from the bars and adult-only areas — and members can sign in guests, who receive a temporary pass for the day. A courtesy van runs Thursday to Saturday from 4 pm until closing, and new members are always welcome. Whatever the mood you are in, the team says, the club has something to offer.
On Nelson Street in Pukekohe, the Pukekohe Cosmopolitan Club — known to some locals as the Cossie Club — manages to be several venues at once. A restaurant and bistro, a members' bar, a sports bar, ten pin bowling lanes, TAB and gaming facilities, and a remarkably long list of sporting sections all sit under one roof, open seven days a week. The only day the club closes each year is Christmas Day. As the team puts it, whatever the mood you are in, they have something to offer.
Dining centres on the Restaurant and Bistro, open Wednesday to Sunday from midday — until 7 pm on Wednesdays and Sundays, and until 8 pm Thursday to Saturday. Mondays and Tuesdays the kitchen takes a break, though the club itself opens from 11:30 am daily. Drinks are served across three spaces: the Main Lounge and the Sports Bar, open to members and their signed-in guests, and the Workers Bar, which members enjoy exclusive access to. Tuesday evenings bring happy hour from 5 pm to 6 pm, and from Thursday to Saturday the club stays open until 1 am — an easy place to settle in for dinner and stay for the evening.
The Ten Pin Bowling lanes are a genuine drawcard and run every day: 11 am to 8 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays, 10 am to 10 pm Wednesday to Saturday, and 10 am to 8 pm on Sundays, with the club's Time Out offers promising a fun-filled visit. Sports fans are well looked after too, with 17 gaming machines, TAB facilities, rugby and league tipping competitions, and sport on the big screen. The traditional club sports remain at the heart of things — darts, indoor bowls, lawn bowls, snooker and 8 ball — with a pool competition every Friday night that anyone can join, and regular Housie sessions the club describes as very popular.
Few clubs can match the breadth of sections on offer here. Members can take their pick of fishing, darts, indoor bowls, mahjong, clay target shooting, 8 ball, euchre, golf, rugby, netball, pigeon racing, horse racing, ten pin bowling, snooker, outdoor bowls and housie. Affiliated with Clubs New Zealand, the club also welcomes visitors from affiliated clubs around the country, who are invited to come along and take part in any of the activities on offer. For newcomers to Pukekohe, it is one of the quickest ways to find a team, a table or a playing partner.
The club describes itself as a family club, and children of members and guests are welcome — the one request being that they keep clear of the bars and any designated adult-only areas. Members may sign in guests, who are issued a temporary pass to show when asked, with members responsible for their guests' behaviour while in the club. For those who would rather not drive after a night out, a courtesy van runs Thursday to Saturday from 4 pm until closing — phone 0274 730 675 to arrange a ride.
New members are always welcome, and the team on (09) 238 8404 can help with memberships, ten-pin bowling bookings, restaurant reservations, club events or general questions. Whether it is a midweek dinner, a Friday night pool competition, Saturday bowls or Sunday bowling with the kids, the club's closing message is a warm one: they look forward to seeing you there.