Looking back through the Otaihanga Boating Club years

Otaihanga Boating Club. Photo / David Haxton

Sitting in peaceful tranquillity beside the Waikanae River is the Otaihanga Boating Club.

The club has, and continues to play a big part in the Otaihanga community and wider surrounds.

Lots of people will have special memories from various times spent at the club since it opened in 1953.

Roy Opie, who has lived in the area since he was 7, said the land where the club is situated was originally donated by the Hadfield family.

"A committee was set up and they had 12 months to do something otherwise the land would be lost."

Creating a boating club made sense.

"You could use the river to boat. I had a little yacht in the river."

An early photo, dating back to 1959, shows various boats using the Waikanae River.

Waikanae River in 1959 and in 2021.

From small beginnings the club emerged with building extensions happening in the 1960s.

"A ply boat was taken around the lower North Island to raise funds for two extensions."

The club was a hive of activity especially on a Friday night when the house band played.

"This place hummed."

There were various rules to abide by too including one where you could only live in a certain area to belong to the club though that's not the case now.

"That's how popular it was. The whole of Otaihanga came here for their recreation."

Whether it was to play indoor bowls or table tennis, catch up with friends, listen to the band, or attend a meeting, the club hosted it all.

In 2005 heavy rain flooded the river, causing an extensive amount of damage to the club.

"We had two feet of water through," Roy recalled.

A large number of volunteers started the mammoth task of rebuilding the club.

A house moving company lifted the building to one side, the site was re-piled, before the club was lifted back to its original site albeit 1.8m higher to curb any further threat of flooding.

However, closer inspection of the club showed some of the wood was rotten, meaning an almost complete rebuild.

Only a section of flooring remains from the old club building.

Roy, a club commodore from 2007 to 2014, played a big part in the rebuild.

"I'd always thought I owed something to the boating club."

Roy Opie inside the Otaihanga Boating Club hall. Photo / David Haxton

The rebuild meant a larger main room, the addition of a commercial kitchen, new toilet area, a bar, and outside decking.

Roy also had some steel columns put in for a caretaker's flat if needed in the future.

"I was very proud that when it was finished, there was $30,000 in the kitty, which gave the boating club a start.

"I do get a bit of a high when I come in here and think about all the issues we had.

"I'd definitely like to say that this [rebuild] couldn't have happened without the help of other people."

On May 31, 2011, Shaun Quincey, the first New Zealander to row the Tasman Sea from Australia, spoke at the club and planted a commemorative kowhai tree.

The club was officially reopened by former mayor Jenny Rowan on April 6, 2013, and is still going strong.

It's a popular venue for weddings, funerals, family reunions, birthday parties and more.

"We want people to use it more often," club commodore Ralph Lane said.

And the club will continue to play its part in the social fabric for many years to come.

"The constitution has been changed to guarantee that it remains in the community."