The Okaihu Bowling Club is a remarkable bowling club.

Remarkable not just because it must be one of New Zealand’s most unsung clubs in one of New Zealand’s most unsung locations, just to the north of Lake Omapere on State Highway 1 between Kaikohe and Kaitaia.

Remarkable not just because it may well have the longest full-playing member of any club in New Zealand … the evergreen Kath Mudgeway has been a member of the Okaihau Bowling Club for 70 years since 1952.

Remarkable not just because the Okaihau Bowling Club has 30 full-playing members … which will swell to 40 full-playing members this coming season.  Also remarkable because that’s not counting the 50 or 60 casuals that turn up for twilight bowls every Friday evening in summer.  And not counting the 15 or so social members who enjoy the socialising at Okaihau so much, paying a sub slips their minds.

No.  What’s remarkable about Okaihau is the fact that their membership is so new … and so young.  And attracting more newbies and more youngsters.

The average age in the club is only 30-40.  It’s an average that isn’t skewed by school kids … the youngest is still 21.  And the oldest is 96!  It’s just there’s a lot in the middle who aren’t retired and are still working.

“We were out for the count in 2016,” says long-time Life Member and Club Secretary, Anne Wilson.  “We were down to a membership of 9 … of which only 5 actually played bowls.  Our green was out of action, and we had to play our bowls down the road at the Kaikohe Bowling Club.”

”It’s been a great comeback.”

The Okaihau Bowling Club’s green’s also been back in action since 2019. Sure.  It may not be the billiard table surfaces of Leamington Spa, but local dairy farmer and Club President David Haynes has taken on the job of bringing the green up to standard.

If you think the name ‘David Haynes’ rings a bell, it should.  David ‘Hurricane’ Haynes played 108 games of rugby for the Northland Taniwha … alongside the likes of Ken, Brian, Charles and Sid Going.  “The only thing we worry about,” laughs Club Fundraiser Dan Amosa,” is that he’ll paint 22 lines on the green!”

However, that mightn’t be a worry for much longer.

“The recent club AGM approved raising funding for an artificial green,” says David. “So we can play all year round.  The climate’s good enough up here in the Far North ... it’s just the grass green gets far too wet.”

“We’ve got some funding for an artificial, so the job now is to get the rest.  We’re pretty determined.  The newbies and youngsters coming on board expect to be able to play all year round ... closing for 6 months of the year only means they’d lose interest and move on to something else.”

It’s those newbies and youngsters who have been instrumental in the club’s renaissance.

“We haven’t had many senior Okaihau bowlers doing well at the centre championships in recent years,” observes Club Vice-President Nati Tonitara, “That’s probably because we haven’t had many seniors!  But our juniors are really causing some damage at the junior championships these days with wins and runners-up across the board.”

“They tend to remember us at centre tournaments because we’re a noisy lot … we don’t just let our bowls do the talking.  We like having fun!”

That’s probably why two annual tournaments are very popular at Okaihu.

“The Rangi Men’s Pairs are held every November,” says Club Match Committee Convenor, Kate Haynes. “We fill the green, and use a green at Kaikohe as well.  In past years, we’ve even used Kerikeri.”

“The other signature tournament is the Okaihau RSA, a mixed fours, held every March.  Again, we fill the green.  But they probably come as much for the in-ground hangi that Alf Blundell puts on, than for the bowls.  Every year we get entrants from Kaitaia and Whangarei.”

But it’s the installation of an artificial that the club reckons will take things up another gear.

“We think that one of the secrets to success is having the club open all year round.  We already have the clubrooms open every Friday evening right throughout the year … being able to play bowls all year round will just make the club even more attractive.”

“The rugby club and tennis club have been struggling.  The only pub in town burnt down years ago.  We’re now the only gathering place for the community in Okaihau.  And more and more we’re being regarded as a community club that also plays bowls … rather than just a bowling club that only plays bowls.”

Keep up the great work Okaihau