Basin Reserve
Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand — opened 1868 (first cricket match 11 Jan 1868, Wellington Volunteers v crew of HMS Falcon), 39 rugby league games hosted, home of None as a permanent home — hosted occasional New Zealand (Kiwis) international Tests only, not a resident club.
Sourcing caveat: Floodlights not confirmed for the rugby league era (all five Tests were daytime fixtures, well before floodlights were standard).
Ground facts
| Opened | 1868 (first cricket match 11 Jan 1868, Wellington Volunteers v crew of HMS Falcon) (Overwhelmingly and primarily a Test cricket ground — New Zealand's most historic, built on a former swampy area intended as a boat basin, hence the name. Its rugby league history is a minor historical footnote, not its main identity.) |
| Home club | None as a permanent home — hosted occasional New Zealand (Kiwis) international Tests only, not a resident club |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 39 |
| Top recorded crowd | 12,000 |
| Capacity | approx. 6,800 (current, cricket configuration); historical rugby league crowds up to approx. 8,000 |
| Test matches hosted | 5 |
| Surface | Grass (cricket-quality turf) |
| First rugby league match | 23 Aug 1919 — New Zealand 21-44 Australia (attendance approx. 8,000), the earliest confirmed rugby league Test at the venue |
| Years used | 1919–1990 |
| Location | Wellington, Wellington |
Name history
- Basin Reserve — since 1868, no name change found
Rugby league history
New Zealand's most famous and historic cricket ground (home to the New Zealand Cricket Museum, heritage-listed), with rugby league usage limited to five Kiwis Tests across 1919-1953 (New Zealand's record at the venue: 3 wins, 2 losses), none since. Also hosted early soccer and other events historically, including an 1879 public electric-light demonstration.
Primarily and overwhelmingly a Test cricket ground.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 23 Aug 1919 — New Zealand 21-44 Australia (attendance approx. 8,000)
- 14 Aug 1920 — New Zealand 10-11 Great Britain (attendance approx. 4,000)
- 6 Aug 1924 — New Zealand 13-11 Great Britain (attendance approx. 6,000)
- 17 Sep 1949 — New Zealand 26-21 Australia (attendance 7,737)
- 4 Jul 1953 — New Zealand 12-11 Australia (attendance 5,394)
Pre-dates the site's structured match-by-match records for these competitions, so listed here as sourced facts rather than linked match pages.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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