Christchurch has three very different ways to bowl, and the satellite town of Rolleston has added a brand-new centre with 14 full-length lanes.
Most lanesZone Garden City · 18 lanes
Lowest public game rateBlenheim Indoor Sports · NZ$15
Latest closingArchie Brothers · midnight
Best Google ratingZone Garden City · 4.5 from 2,390 reviews
15-21 Iversen Terrace, Waltham, Christchurch 8011
Eighteen lanes and a Timezone arcade on Iversen Terrace, with laser tag paused during upgrades.
89 Iport Drive, Rolleston 7614, Canterbury
Fourteen full-length lanes in Rolleston, with golf simulators, karaoke and two short lanes for toddlers.
617-619 Colombo Street, Christchurch Central City, Christchurch 8011
Eight lanes with couches and QR ordering inside EntX, beside the Christchurch bus interchange.
50 Battys Road, Blenheim
Seven neon-lit lanes in Blenheim's indoor sports centre, with adult games at NZ$15 including shoes.
30 McPherson Street, Richmond, Nelson 7020
Six tenpin lanes with bumpers in Richmond, reopened in April 2025 after a refit.
Westfield Riccarton, Rotherham Street, Christchurch 8041
Shorter, half-length lanes inside Westfield Riccarton's Timezone, near bumper cars and glow golf.
Zone Bowling Garden City in Waltham is the conventional option: 18 ten-pin lanes, a Timezone arcade and laser tag, with 4.5 stars from almost 2,400 Google reviews. Archie Brothers sits in the EntX complex beside the central bus interchange, and Timezone at Westfield Riccarton has full-width lanes at about half the usual length.
Full Monty's in Rolleston pairs 14 full-length lanes with two short ones for small children.
In Blenheim, the bowling sits inside an indoor sports centre that also hosts netball, cricket and a gym. Its rate card runs from NZ$8 for under-fives to NZ$15 for an adult game, and it publishes family prices for up to three games.
Across the hills in Richmond, near Nelson, Action Centre reopened in April 2025 with six tenpin lanes, bumper rails for children, mini golf and an American diner.
A single game cost NZ$23 at the start of the week and NZ$25 for the rest of it when we checked; a child's game was NZ$14.
Timezone Riccarton's half-length lanes and the two short lanes at Full Monty's in Rolleston are the gentlest starts for young children.