Manor Park Golf Sanctuary

Overview: Manor Park Golf Sanctuary is an 18-hole par 71 course in Lower Hutt, framed by the Hutt River on one side and Haywards Stream on the other. The club describes a long, narrow layout with gently rolling fairways, native bush and wetlands. That combination gives Manor Park a distinctive environmental character: the holes feel enclosed by living landscape, yet the watercourses remain close enough to influence the visual line and the way the round unfolds.

History: The club began in 1913 as Karori Golf Club in Wellington City, then moved to its present site in 1926 and adopted the Manor Park name. The land was difficult, with flooding, gorse, gravel and boulders all requiring member labour. By 1936 a full eighteen holes was in play. In 2013 the property received sanctuary designation through Audubon International’s cooperative programme after a long effort to improve habitat and resource management.

Did You Know? Manor Park’s sanctuary programme has recorded more than twenty bird species and made habitat work part of the club’s identity. The course is therefore not just bordered by native vegetation; its current stewardship aims to preserve and extend the wildlife environment woven through the golf property.