Okara Park facts for kids
| Location | Whangārei, New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 35°44′3″S 174°19′46″E / 35.73417°S 174.32944°E |
| Capacity | 30,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1965 |
| Renovated | 2008 |
| Tenants | |
| Northland Rugby Union (1965–present) Northern Swords |
|
Okara Park, also known as Semenoff Stadium, is a big sports ground in Whangārei, New Zealand. It's called a "multi-purpose stadium" because it can be used for many different sports and events.
This stadium is mostly used for rugby union games. It is the home ground for the Northland Rugby Union team. Okara Park first opened in 1965 and can hold about 18,500 people.
Contents
Modern Upgrades
Okara Park has been updated to make it even better. A new main stand, called the Northland Events Centre, was built. These changes have made Okara Park a central place for sports in the Northland area.
Amazing Crowds
Even though the stadium usually holds about 18,500 people, it once had a huge crowd of around 40,000! This happened in 1979 during a rugby game. Fans packed into the stadium, using the large grassy hills around the field to watch. The local team, North Auckland, was playing against Auckland for the important Ranfurly Shield trophy.
Hosting Big Games
Okara Park has hosted many exciting national and international sports events.
Rugby League Matches
In 1996, the New Zealand Māori rugby league team played against the Great Britain Lions here. The New Zealand Māori team won with a score of 40–28.
On November 1, 2014, the stadium held its first international rugby league game. The New Zealand national rugby league team played against Samoa as part of the 2014 Rugby League Four Nations tournament. New Zealand won that close game 14–12.
Rugby Union Matches
The stadium has also seen many big rugby union games. In 1998, the New Zealand Māori rugby union team played the Tongan national team and won 66–7.
Over the years, Northland has played against famous international teams at Okara Park. These teams include the British & Irish Lions, Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji.
In 2010, Okara Park was part of a special celebration for New Zealand Māori Rugby. The New Zealand Māori national rugby union team played against the New Zealand Barbarians. This game was like a try-out match for the famous All Blacks team.
Rugby World Cup
Okara Park was chosen as a venue for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. It hosted two important group stage matches. These were games between Tonga and Canada, and Tonga and Japan.
British & Irish Lions Tour
On June 3, 2017, the British & Irish Lions started their tour of New Zealand at Okara Park. They played against the New Zealand Barbarians and won the game 13–7.
See also
In Spanish: Okara Park para niños
