Parnell Lawn Tennis Club is the oldest tennis club in the country and one of the oldest in the world still in existence, preparing this weekend for their 150th birthday celebrations.
Nestled in Auckland Domain, Parnell Lawn Tennis Club is a picture of green where sport meets socialising.
"It's the people, everyone's just so incredibly friendly, the conviviality. It's wonderful," one member told 1News.
"It's a big family, it really is."
That friendly environment helped lure in former club president Gail Mazur too.
"I've been here 23 years and straight away it got into my DNA."
Mazur and many others will now get a chance to come together to celebrate their second home while trawling through previously undiscovered treasures at this weekend’s celebrations.
In fact, another former president, Alan Gluestein, managed to unearth some historical footage from well-kept reels at the club.
“They were found underneath the clubhouse, hidden away, under a whole lot of rubbish in a damp corner,” he said.
"we were looking for old records, anything of interest for the 150th.”
They struck gold - a treasure trove of high quality footage from as early as the 1940s.
"It was a great relief when most of them turned out to be in reasonable condition and produced very good scans," Gluestein said.
"These films provide a wonderful picture of what life was like. It clearly showed a very popular club, a social aspect to it, but an enthusiasm for the tennis."
Jean Wallace remembers it well; the 101-year-old played at the club's original cathedral site.
"I like Parnell Tennis Club, it's a very old tennis club. I stayed a long time, it's a very good club."
And 98-year-old Caville Morgan, who joined Parnell when she was 18 in the 1940s was instrumental in helping the club move to its current position near the museum.
"There must be so many people who've been members there and had wonderful times and played great tennis," she said.
Originally a croquet club, Parnell has come a long way with around 350 members on its books and hosting a Davis Cup tie in 2008.
It survived the war years and more recently the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We always had good fun, good times and were good friends and I think if they can carry on in that way it will still be a good club," Morgan added.
A club still moving forward - now with a special window into its past.
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