Where It All Began 

Recreation Station got started in Christchurch in July 2019 when owners Clint & Haruka realised that, particularly with golf, people had a very limited choice in shopping unless they were happy to buy the latest models brand new. There was nowhere people could go to browse a big range of used gear in one place.

Looking through (and asking questions about) one item at a time via online auction sites was timeconsuming and frustrating and people worried about whether or not they might end up buying a product that was not right for them (or worse; ending up with a product that was not authentic) when buying from a private seller. Thus, Recreation Station was born.

We began operating from the garage of our St Albans home as an husband and wife team and sold our range of imported used golf equipment almost exclusively on Trademe. After two years of operating from the garage, Clint took a year off from his full-time job as a pilot and we moved into our first retail store in a new building at the end of our street and employed some new staff. “It was the busiest year of my life” Clint says on reflection. “We had to learn how to become employers, manage staff, and find more suppliers. We needed a website, more advertising, a marketing strategy and a whole lot more stock! We began selling new and used ski, snowboard and tennis gear as well. It was a very expensive time and we needed to max out our mortgage as well as take out some business loans to make it happen.”

Luckily business boomed as pandemic-grounded kiwis flocked to the country’s golf courses and social distancing while enjoying sport made golf the perfect pastime. Within 18 months we had outgrown our small store and were on the hunt for something bigger. We took a big step and signed a long lease on a building five times the size and in amongst the ‘big boys’ of sports retail in Clarence Street at the top of Tower Junction. This store demanded a huge amount of stock and more staff and we expanded our offering into used ski, snowboard gear and began carrying a range of surf, hiking and all sorts of racket sports as well. We now had the largest selection of used golf gear in the country (by far) and had a putting green, and full golf simulator in store. We now had 9 staff members in New Zealand as well as part-timers in Japan and the USA.

Giving Back To The Community 

One of the the most important things Haruka & Clint aimed for from the beginning was the ability to give back to the community that has supported our business. Over the years we have strived to give back to the community by sponsoring or donating to schools, sports clubs and junior golf initiatives such as the Futures golf initiative. Those we have supported include:

With Your Help We Can Give More 

Recreation Station has an ongoing donation drive where those who’d rather give away the proceeds of the sale of sports gear they no longer use, rather than to sell to us, can help us support Futures Canterbury.

The Future 

We continue to specialise in a mix of new, used, ex-demo and clearance sports gear meaning you can get your favourite golf, tennis, surf, ski, snowboard, squash, badminton, hiking and other sports gear at affordable prices. “We love it when someone comes in and is amazed that they can choose a golf driver from $50 to $1050. It’s so cool that people can tell us what they want to spend and we can show them a whole range at that price” explains Clint. “Often people realise they can get a whole lot more for what they have to spend than they initially thought”.

Our staff are very knowledgeable (because they eat, sleep and breathe the sports we sell) and have been all over the world playing the sport they love. They happily spend time ensuring you get the right gear no matter how much your budget is. You can even trade-in your old gear at the same time saving yourself the hassle of selling it on your own.

You can view our Trademe listings here, but of course our best price is always in store or right here on our website. We are constantly listing new product and most are one-off so it pays to check back often. And golfers, if you don’t see the item that exactly aligns with what you want, let us know. We offer a service no one else does, USED CLUB SOURCING TO ORDER! You can give us the details of the exact club you would like and we can try to source it for you from our massive overseas suppliers. And best of all, there’s no charge for this extra service!

Thanks for visiting Recreation Station - Your stop for new and used sports gear.