CURLING

Maniototo is the home of Curling in New Zealand. This ancient sport, its history lost in the Scottish mists of time, has been a central feature of the Maniototo when the long cold winters made work impossible and people looked for ways to pass the time.

Introduced first in the McKenzie Country in South Canterbury, the sport rapidly established itself in the Maniototo and today there are approximately 17 clubs within the Plain, one of the oldest clubs in New Zealand being the Mt Ida Curling Club, headquartered in Naseby. Possibly the oldest sporting trophy in New Zealand, the Baxter Cup, is just one of many trophies played for throughout the season. 

A tradition occurring only after a Bonspiel, a tournament for all the clubs combined, is the Curlers Court, where new players are inducted into the Curling brotherhood in a secret ceremony, and the traditional Curlers dinner of Beef and Greens is served. Over recent years, Bonspiels have been few and far between as they must be played on natural ice and Maniototo winters are no longer as cold as they once were. However, the establishment of the artificial outdoor Maniototo Ice Rink at Naseby has assured devotees of the sport of sufficient ice for good seasons. 

New Zealand is the only country in the world to still play the traditional game, most other countries now play a version of Curling known as Hack Curling and at the last Winter Olympics, Hack Curling as a sport was introduced for the first time. Recently, the Maniototo Ice Rink successfully tendered for funding from the International Curling Council to establish an International Curling Rink beside the current facility. 

The curling rink is now open and operating.