The Te Aroha Memorial RSA Club Inc, on Rewi Street in the heart of Te Aroha, is a community club in the truest sense. While its roots are in supporting returned service people, today it doubles as one of the town's friendliest social hubs, and its onsite restaurant and bar, Kitchen 67, is open to everyone — catering for lunch and dinner with no membership required.
Beyond the kitchen, the club runs a busy calendar of regular activities: darts every Tuesday night, indoor bowls on Wednesday afternoons, snooker and a sing-along with Ian & Janice on Thursdays, and big housie sessions on selected Sundays. A monthly Seniors' Luncheon draws a loyal crowd, the Te Aroha Country Music Club fills Sunday afternoons with guest artists, and special events like the Daffodil Day buffet raise money for causes including the Cancer Society.
Membership is open to anyone and comes with its own benefits, the Women's Section offers a friendship and support group that meets monthly, and the club's spaces are available for venue hire. Whether you're dropping in for a meal, a game or simply good company, the message repeated across the club's event notices says it plainly: everyone is welcome.
On Rewi Street in Te Aroha, at the foot of the mountain that gives the town its name, the Te Aroha Memorial RSA Club Inc has long been one of those community cornerstones that quietly does everything. It is a place of remembrance, yes, but also a social club, a restaurant, a music venue and a games room — and unlike some clubs, it flings its doors wide open. The restaurant, bar and almost every regular event welcome members and non-members alike, so dropping in for the first time is easy.
Food anchors much of club life. Kitchen 67, the club's onsite restaurant and bar, caters for lunch and dinner and is open to everyone. On Thursdays it doubles as a concert corner, when Ian & Janice lead a sing-along from 6.30pm. When the Te Aroha Country Music Club visits on a Sunday — guest artists have included Steve Ward — the music runs from noon to 4pm and Kitchen 67 is open for lunch throughout.
Special occasions bring bigger spreads. The club's Daffodil Day fundraiser features a buffet from 5.30pm with an open dance floor courtesy of the ILLUSION Band, and children 12 and under eat free with a full paying adult. And on the first Wednesday of each month, the Seniors' Luncheon at 11.30am serves hearty, homestyle plates — think creamy bacon and mushroom pasta bake with salad, or a full cooked breakfast with hash browns, sausage, bacon, grilled onion and eggs — finished with dessert.
Few clubs pack a week like this one. Tuesday nights belong to darts from 7pm — beginners encouraged, contact Ken or just turn up. Wednesday afternoons bring indoor bowls from 2pm to 4pm. Thursdays stack up twice over: snooker games start at 1pm, and the sing-along follows in the evening.
Sundays are for housie, with sessions kicking off at 11am after the club opens at 9am — 40 games plus a Diddy, a Super and a Special, with lunch and tea or coffee available through the day. The competitive streak runs deeper still: the Towes Insurance Winter Games Tournament spreads across darts, bowls, snooker and pool before its prize giving.
At its heart the RSA remains a place of remembrance. Each Anzac Day the club joins the nation in honouring the sacrifices made by New Zealanders and Australians in the two World Wars and the armed conflicts since. Day to day, remembrance is paired with fellowship: the Women's Section, a friendship and support group, meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 10.30am for a cuppa and a chat, often followed by lunch, and welcomes new members for a modest annual sub.
Giving back is woven through the calendar too — Daffodil Day raises funds for the Cancer Society's research and prevention programmes with the buffet, a grocery raffle and a donation box. Anyone can become a member and enjoy the benefits, the club's spaces are available for venue hire, and a long roll-call of local sponsors — from electricians and plumbers to the town's Four Square — underlines how deeply the RSA is woven into Te Aroha life.
Whether you arrive for a meal at Kitchen 67, a Tuesday night of darts, a Sunday of housie or simply a quiet drink among friends, the welcome is the same. "Everyone is welcome" appears on nearly every event notice the club publishes — and from the sing-alongs to the snooker table, it clearly means it. For the latest events, the club points people to its Facebook page, where new happenings are posted first.