Polo hits NZ's city centres

The Puesto Viejo Polo club. Photo/Michael Craig

Polo horses will be hitting the streets of Auckland and Wellington this summer with the launch of "Urban Polo".

The event, sponsored by beer company Heineken, will kick off with two games of polo for the first half of the day followed by a music festival for the second half.

Traditionally played in the countryside, the sport will be brought to the city centre with one event held in Wellington at Galloway Park and the other at Auckland's Shore Road Reserve in Parnell.

"We are thrilled to partner with the Urban Polo to bring this type of event to New Zealand," said Heineken marketing manager Taylor Green.

Simon Wilson, who has run the annual New Zealand Polo Open in Clevedon for nine years will also be running Urban Polo and he expected the event to be world class.

"Bringing this amazing event into the city has always been a dream of mine and with the support of the councils in both Auckland and Wellington, the Heineken Urban Polo is set to explode into our major cities," Wilson said.

"There's no denying the glamour of the sport, with most of the players flying in from all over the world, taking a break from playing with royal families.

"The sheer spectacle of this high energy sport and the glamour that surrounds it is set to excite Parnell and Kelburn respectively and we can't wait."

The Wellington Urban Polo will be held on February 11 with the Auckland Urban Polo held on February 25.