Croquet mallets and balls in Akaroa

The short answer: Akaroa and Banks Peninsula players can order an Invictus mallet built to their handle length, and the club can order Invictus X balls, online with courier delivery from Australia. For golf croquet on the Rue Jolie lawns, the Invictus Rise is the place most players should start.

Croquet in Akaroa

Akaroa Croquet Club plays on two full-size lawns with its own club rooms in the town's sports area on Rue Jolie, next to the tennis courts and behind the Grand Hotel. Golf croquet is the game, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons. The season runs from September to mid-April. Visitors from around New Zealand and overseas are welcome for a small day green fee, and the club supplies the equipment.

The 2026-27 programme opens on 19 September with the Kay McBride Trophy. In between come interclub teams and singles, club championships in doubles and singles, fun days hosted by Christchurch clubs such as Hornby, Fendalton, Cashmere and Holmes Park, and challenges played at Akaroa, including the Cashmere Rosebowl in January and the Aorangi Mallet Challenge in March. April brings the Narbey Trophy, played against the Akaroa Bowling Club.

What Akaroa's lawns and weather mean for your mallet

Akaroa sits on a sheltered harbour inside the old volcano of Banks Peninsula. Summers are warm and the peninsula can be dry by late season, when lawns firm up and run quickly; spring and autumn bring softer, slower conditions, and the lawns rest over winter. You want accuracy for quick lawns and some carry for the shoulder seasons.

Which Invictus mallet suits Akaroa players

Invictus Rise. The more popular of the pair. Its aluminium head carries around 3 lb, useful in spring when the grass is soft, and a sweet spot slightly broader than usual makes it a little easier to control. Order it with the 11 inch head unless you know you want the longer one.

RF Pro. Our flagship, developed with World Champion Robert Fletcher. A 3D printed aluminium shell carries brass weights and composite faces; all up it is about 2 lb 12 oz, lighter and very precise for clean hoop running on a firm February lawn.

We cut each handle to your measurement and fit an 11 or 12 inch head. Graphite Black is the standard finish, and Snow White, NRA Blue, Rose Gold or Deep Purple can be chosen for an additional cost. Weights are not adjustable. Our fitting guide explains how to measure.

Balls for Akaroa

Invictus X balls are 450 g, entirely Australian-made and championship approved by the World Croquet Federation. Two lawns would normally call for two first-colour and two second-colour sets; ball colours explained covers the sequence.

Delivery to Akaroa

A mallet is built once you order and usually reaches the peninsula 4 to 8 weeks later. That is a guide, not a guarantee. Ball sets come by courier, and we agree the delivered price with you first.

Questions Akaroa players ask

I play only in season. Will the mallet keep over winter? Yes. Aluminium does not warp or dry out in storage; product care has tips.

Can I test it during the season? Add the optional 30-day satisfaction guarantee and play your Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday sessions with it before deciding.

Rise or RF Pro, and the prices? See compare mallets and the two product pages.

More places in New Zealand: croquet mallets and balls around NZ.

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