Festival 2024/25
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Sports and the NZNF

Naturism encourages a healthy lifestyle and sports or leisure activities play a big part in that.   A lot of naturist clubs have sporting facilities including swimming pools, miniten or volleyball courts, petanque, bowls and tenniquoits.   And at times these clubs organise local and interclub sports competitions.

Each year a club around New Zealand takes a turn to host a rally or National Festival and most years this includes a full sports programme with trophies and medals fiercely fought for.  
 
As well as swimming, volleyball and petanque, here are a details of a couple of games that are played at clubs and Festivals that you mightn't know so much about:

  • Miniten is a tennis-like game played exclusively by naturists.    The rules and scoring are similar to tennis and standard tennis balls are used, but the court is much smaller, and instead of racquets, players use wooden bats known as thugs, which are shaped like a box around the player's hand. Find out more about Miniten . . . 

  • Tenniquoits is an outdoor game which was started in the early 1960s.   It was played by high school girls in the USA since the 1930s.   Four decades since its inception, the game has risen from district to international levels with nearly 20 countries all over the world competing for the crown.   

  • 3-down is a new game recently introduced to the NZNF as an official sport.  This game is widely played overseas, but called by a different name.   3-down has been played for a few years at some of the affiliated clubs, but was proposed by the Waikato Outdoor Society at the AGM 2020 that it be an official NZNF sport, which it now is.  The first official competition will be at the Southern Naturally festival held alt the end of 2021.  The rules for 3-down along with details on how to make the required equipment can be found here.

To find out about the organised upcoming sporting events or tournaments in your area go to the Upcoming Events page.   Otherwise, you could visit a club or organisation - someone might be able to join you in a sports game.

Leisure & Recreational Activities

Many naturists join together into special interest groups and organise such events as nude tramping, cycle rides, car rallies or 4wd.

Many clubs and organisations also organise leisure or recreational activities that can (with respect to non-naturists) be undertaken without clothing. 

The sense of freedom when you remove the entrapments of 'civilisation' is fantastic and it makes the activity even more enjoyable feeling the sun and breeze on your bare skin.

To find out about the organised leisure or recreational activities in your area go to the Upcoming Events page.