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This Week’s Issue

Winners of the Buffalo Cup

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August 26, 2025

The cup is played for every year by the Whitianga Senior Citizens Club – Indoor Bowling Teams.

This is an annual competition run by the Whitianga Senior Citizens in the Whitianga Town Hall. It is a very special cup for which to compete.

The Buffalo Cup is made of teak recovered in 1936 from the wreck of the Buffalo which was blown ashore and wrecked in Mercury Bay on 28 July, 1840.

A request was made to the descendants of the family who had originally built the Buffalo in India for a piece of the wood to be made into a Memorial Cup. It was then presented to Milford Primary School to be used for an annual accomplishment prize.

In 1978 it was returned to M H Tichener and was presented to the Mercury Bay Museum.

Now, the cup is played for every year by the Whitianga Senior Citizens Club, Indoor Bowling Teams. The first competition was in 2015 during the inaugural Buffalo Week, 27 July – 2 August, 2015. The 2025 Cup winners were Joy McGregor, Chrissy Rodgers and Jill Barclay the Cupis held at the Mercury Museum and so the winners were photographed with their trophy at the Museum.

Photo from left: Joy Mcgregor, Chrissy Rodgers, Jill Barclay, Lionel Lawrence, President of Senior Citizens.