Nelson Park
Napier, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
Nelson Park, Napier, New Zealand — opened 1909, 2 rugby league games hosted, home of Hawke's Bay (NZRL provincial representative side).
Sourcing caveat: No independent secondary source for either match's score or attendance was located; both figures come solely from Rugby League Project.
Ground facts
| Opened | 1909 (Created in 1909 when Napier's town council purchased 20 acres of reclaimed land from the former Ahuriri Lagoon/swamp; named after settler William Nelson. First held a first-class cricket match in 1920, and is best known today as a cricket ground (home of the Hawke's Bay Cricket Association since 2007), located close to McLean Park, which later took over as Hawke's Bay's primary rugby/league venue.) |
| Home club | Hawke's Bay (NZRL provincial representative side) |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 2 |
| Top recorded crowd | 6,000 |
| Years used | 1913–1914 |
| Location | Napier, Hawke's Bay |
Name history
Rugby league history
Rugby league reached Hawke's Bay in 1911, introduced by former "All Golds" players Jim Gleeson and Edward Tyne with the help of ex-All Black David Evans, who persuaded local clubs to switch codes -- explaining why Napier was hosting representative and touring fixtures so soon afterwards. Nelson Park's two recorded matches came in quick succession: a 17 September 1913 loss to a touring NSW representative side (12-31, attendance 4,000) and an 18 July 1914 loss to a touring Northern Union side (7-30, attendance 6,000, the ground's recorded top crowd). The 1914 fixture connects the ground to one of rugby league's most celebrated historic tours -- the Great Britain "Northern Union" tour remembered for the Third Test against Australia at the SCG, the famous "Rorke's Drift Test" -- even though the Napier leg itself was a routine, lopsided provincial match.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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