Pukekura Park
New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand
Pukekura Park, New Plymouth, New Zealand — opened 1880s (as a cricket/sports oval within the wider Pukekura Park), 18 rugby league games hosted, home of Not a permanent club home ground; used for representative and touring-team fixtures involving Taranaki and, later, Central Districts.
Sourcing caveat: Current capacity and floodlight status could not be confirmed; a 4,554 seating figure found for a 2021 rugby union fixture is a contemporary figure, not necessarily representative of the ground's rugby league era.
Ground facts
| Opened | 1880s (as a cricket/sports oval within the wider Pukekura Park) (The surrounding public park opened in 1876 as 'the Recreation Grounds', renamed Pukekura Park in 1907; the sporting oval within it was established in the 1880s (first recorded cricket match 1892). An exact opening date for the oval specifically, as distinct from the park, could not be confirmed.) |
| Home club | Not a permanent club home ground; used for representative and touring-team fixtures involving Taranaki and, later, Central Districts |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 18 |
| Top recorded crowd | 6,473 |
| Test matches hosted | 14 |
| Surface | Grass |
| First rugby league match | 16 Sep 1909, Taranaki 11-27 Auckland (Inter-District) |
| Years used | 1909–1990 |
| Location | New Plymouth, Taranaki |
Name history
- Pukekura Park — 1907-present, renamed from 'the Recreation Grounds'
Rugby league history
A heritage 'Garden of National Significance' public park in New Plymouth whose cricket/sports oval hosted an eight-decade run of touring international rugby league fixtures against Taranaki and other North Island representative sides, from the 1910 Northern Union tour through to 1990. It was never a club's regular home ground, functioning instead as a representative and touring-team venue.
Primarily a first-class cricket ground (55 first-class matches, a Women's Test, and men's/women's ODIs including a 1992 World Cup match) and a heritage public park; modern top-level rugby (union) in the region has shifted to Yarrow Stadium.
Historic Test matches, Cup & Grand Finals hosted
- 26 Jul 1910 — Rotorua 18-54 Northern Union (Lions Tour)
- 4 Aug 1936 — Taranaki 4-35 England (Lions Tour)
- 28 Sep 1949 — NZ Maori 0-33 Australia (Kangaroos Tour)
- 11 Aug 1951 — Taranaki 7-23 France (Chanticleers Tour)
- 6 Jul 1953 — Taranaki 3-62 Australia (Kangaroos Tour)
- 4 Aug 1953 — Taranaki 18-21 USA (American All Stars Tour)
- 9 Aug 1954 — North Island 7-42 Great Britain (Lions Tour)
- 4 Aug 1955 — Taranaki 17-46 France (Chanticleers Tour)
- 28 Jul 1958 — Taranaki 8-67 Great Britain (Lions Tour)
- 5 Aug 1964 — Taranaki 4-22 France (Chanticleers Tour)
- 15 Jun 1965 — Taranaki 11-29 Australia (Kangaroos Tour)
- 15 Aug 1966 — Taranaki 17-51 Great Britain (Lions Tour)
- 25 Jul 1979 — Central Districts 5-14 Great Britain (Lions Tour)
- 4 Jul 1990 — Taranaki 0-24 Great Britain (Lions Tour), the venue's last recorded rugby league match
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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