Rowing Clubs in New Zealand: Auckland to Otago

This guide is for adults, school families and visiting rowers looking for a club in New Zealand. For a small country, the sport runs deep. Rowing NZ counts 69 clubs, and the national championships have been held every year since 1888, apart from two gaps during the World Wars.

How New Zealand rowing is organised

Rowing NZ sits at the top, and its club directory is the place to find a club near you. Ten regional associations support clubs in Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, East Coast, Marlborough, Otago, Southland, Waikato, Whanganui and Wellington. There are also two specialist bodies: the New Zealand Secondary Schools Rowing Association and the Legion of Rowers for masters.

School rowing matters here. Many clubs in the table have school crews, and Canterbury names four Christchurch schools whose students row with it.

The clubs

Club	Founded	Location/water	Who it’s for	Website
West End Rowing Club	1884	Avondale, Auckland, plus Mercer on the Waikato River	juniors, masters, competitive	werc.co.nz
Auckland Rowing Club	1869	Mt Wellington, Auckland, Tamaki River	juniors, masters, competitive	theaucklandrowingclub.org.nz
Counties Manukau Rowing Club	n/a	Mercer, Waikato River	juniors, masters, learn-to-row	Rowing NZ
Waikato Rowing Club	1960	Hamilton, Waikato River	university, masters, learn-to-row	waikatorowingclub.kiwi
Rotorua Rowing Club	1962	Rotorua, Blue Lake	juniors, masters	Rowing NZ
Hawke’s Bay Rowing Club	n/a	Clive, Clive River	n/a	Rowing NZ
Wellington Rowing Club	1885	Taranaki St Wharf, Wellington Harbour	masters, competitive, learn-to-row	Rowing NZ
Star Boating Club	1866	Whairepo Lagoon, Wellington	juniors, masters, learn-to-row	Rowing NZ
Nelson Rowing Club	n/a	Port Nelson, the Haven	recreational, learn-to-row	Rowing NZ
Canterbury Rowing Club	1861	Kerrs Reach, Christchurch	juniors, masters, learn-to-row	Rowing NZ
Otago Rowing Club	1873	Dunedin, Otago Harbour	competitive, recreational, masters	Rowing NZ

Rotorua’s founding year is its 1962 incorporation, though rowing there goes back to 1904.

Regattas and the season

Three fixtures shape the year:

• New Zealand Rowing Championships. This is the club championship, held over four days each February, alternating between Lake Karapiro and Lake Ruataniwha. The 2027 edition is at Lake Ruataniwha from 10 to 13 February.
• Maadi Regatta. This is the secondary school event, home to the Maadi Cup. The 2026 regatta ran for six days at Lake Ruataniwha.
• Local regattas. The season starts early. Rowing NZ’s calendar for late October and early November 2026 shows events on Lake Karapiro, the Oreti River, Porirua Harbour, Blue Lake and the Whanganui River.

As a rule of thumb, racing runs from spring through to autumn, and winter is for training. Hawke’s Bay says its water can be rowed pretty much all year round.

Joining as a beginner or visitor

New rowers are well catered for in the bigger cities. Star Boating Club runs regular adult learn-to-row courses. Canterbury’s club squad is open to ages 17 to 35, from complete beginners up, and its masters and social squad takes all abilities from 27. Waikato has a novice squad and says it’s never too late to start.

Visitors have a good first call in Auckland Rowing Club, whose listing says it hosts visiting overseas, corporate and university rowers. Otago offers a friendly welcome to anyone who wants to row socially or competitively.

We didn’t find a national fee, so ask each club about membership and what’s involved in registering you as a rower. Its club page links to rules on registering, licensing and transferring rowers, which matters if you’ve raced elsewhere. If you’re heading the other way, to Europe, our guides to rowing clubs in Austria and rowing clubs in Belgium explain how joining works in two other countries.

How to pick a club in New Zealand

• Think about where the crew actually rows. West End and Counties Manukau both use Mercer on the Waikato River, a drive from central Auckland, so ask where sessions start.
• Wellington has two neighbours. Star and Wellington Rowing Club are both beside Taranaki Street Wharf, so compare them in person.
• Check how much of the club is school rowing. Counties Manukau says school rowing is a major part of its membership, and Rotorua’s roughly 40 members include local secondary school students. If you’re an adult, ask what’s left for club crews in term time.
• Consider club size. Auckland has about 250 members and Wellington about 150, while Rotorua has about 40. A bigger club usually means more squads, and a smaller one often means more say in how things run, as a rule of thumb.
• Masters rowers. Waikato, Rotorua and Canterbury all name masters groups, and the Legion of Rowers is the national masters association.
• Want something different? Nelson mixes sculling, sweep, beach sprints, coastal boats and traditional skiffs.
• Students. Waikato has a dedicated university squad, and the directory also lists Otago University Rowing Club.

New to rowing? Read rowing for beginners and the reasons to join a club. Heading across the Tasman? See our Australia guide or all club guides.

Know a club we’ve missed, or found a mistake? Tell us.