Taupō Petanque rolls over to new field

Taupō Petanque members are enjoying their new, purpose-built playing area.

Petanque (sometimes called boules) is a simple, relaxed game enjoyed by people of all ages and fitness levels.

It is a fun way of enjoying yourself with friends.

The game goes back as far as ancient Greece, but in modern times it has become quite popular in France.

This great way of having a pleasant time has had a real boost in Taupō with the provision of a new playing area.

Until now, petanque players have been restricted to a small area on Northcroft Reserve near the fire station in Lake Terrace.

This space was restricted and had to be shared with many other users.

The new terrain is in an ideal sheltered spot between Taupō Museum and Bowling Club and allows as many as 10 games to be played simultaneously.

All this was celebrated last Sunday with a special opening event.

Taupō for the first time was able to host an event that was part of the Bay Of Plenty Challenge, a series of social tournaments that has taken place during the past few months.

It is designed to provide a playing opportunity for non-tournament and social petanque players.

Events were held at Rotorua, Tauranga and Taupō, with 30 to 60 participants from as far afield as Matamata and Whakatāne.

The Taupō event had 16 teams and was great fun with a real air of celebration.

Sixteen pairs participated, with the Taupō pairing of Sherrie Johnson and Jean Caulton comfortably winning their group.

Without two chief factors, none of this would have taken place.

The first is the vision and hard work of Taupō resident Frederick Frank, who not only dealt with organising meetings with the council and convincing them of the benefits of this project, but physically built much of the ancillary equipment required and displayed excellent workmanship.

The other factor is the contribution of the council, which saw the benefits of this happy game for the community and provided all manner of support.

After much negotiating, many conversations, mooted relocation sites, and a plethora of emails, forum presentations, drawings, plans and on-site meetings, the council has been generous in building a fantastic petanque terrain, replacing a disused public lawn area with a beautiful installation, exclusively suitable for petanque.

Special mention should go to Taupō District Mayor David Trewavas and councillors Yvonne Westerman and Andrew Moor for their unstinting time and efforts.

A big thank you must also go to Taupō Bowling Club, which has provided an entrance to its premises and use of its facilities.

Taupō Petanque would love to increase the number of people playing the game.

We can promise you a great welcome and provide you with the equipment required to get started. So please come and join us! Any interested players can simply turn up at 10am Friday and Saturday, or 2pm on a Wednesday.

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