Taupo Petanque court

Honestly, petanque isn’t something you stumble across every day in New Zealand, so it’s kind of a cool find right here in Taupō. If you’ve never played before, it’s basically the French version of bowls — dead simple to pick up and genuinely fun once you get into it. The central location means you’re not going out of your way to get there, and it fits nicely into a day where you’re already poking around town. It’s more of a grown-up outing than a kids’ playground situation, but there’s something refreshingly low-key about rocking up for a casual game without any fuss.