Working out at the gym also proved painful and costly.
Almost 40,000 New Zealanders were hurt in the gym last year, and payments topped the $20m mark.
ACC spokeswoman Suzanne Muth said one person was hurt dropping a 5kg weight on their toe, and another lost their balance during an exercise and fell on to their face.
Rugby league was the fifth-costliest sport: $16m was spent rehabilitating 14,030 players.
Payments for seven other sports topped the $1m mark, including fishing, golf, hockey, cricket, indoor cricket, tennis and softball/baseball.
The relatively sedate sport of lawn bowls narrowly missed that group. Payments totalled $961,408 for 1277 claims.
Injuries included being struck in the head or foot by bowls, and after tumbling while delivering the jack.
Glen Eden pensioner Jan Wolfenden is among those injured on the green in the past year.
The 71-year-old grandmother-of-five was delivering a backhand bowl when she popped a disc in her lower back 12 months ago.
"It just went bang like a big pop in my back. I didn't take much notice but then my left leg wouldn't move," she said.
An MRI scan showed the disc was between her hip and pelvis, affecting nerves. She has seen an osteopath and a skeletal specialist but still suffered pain. Her balance has been affected, and with it, her playing ability, she said.
Wolfenden, who has four years' playing experience and is a member of the Glen Eden Bowling Club, was still determined to play through the pain barrier.
Club president Yvonne Lipsham, has seen shoulders, knees and hips "go" on the green.
But the sport's benefits far outweighed any negatives, she said.
"I think it's great for the oldies. It keeps them fit. It does more good than harm."
