It's still winter. The lawn is soft, the evenings are short, and the backyard is mostly being ignored.
But spring in New Zealand arrives fast — faster than it feels like it will from the middle of July. One week it's grey and cold, the next the sun is out until six and someone's suggesting a barbecue.
The backyards that get used most in summer aren't the ones that get sorted in October. They're the ones that are ready when the first warm weekend arrives. Here's how to get there.
The mindset shift that matters
Most people think about their backyard reactively. It's sunny — let's do something out there. What's out there? Not much. So we sit on the deck for a while and then go back inside.
The backyards that become the ones people want to spend time in — and where people end up gathering on weekends — have something to do in them. Not a full outdoor entertainment setup with a pizza oven and string lights (though that's nice too). Just one or two things that give a reason to be out there.
That's the shift. From a space you sit in to a space you use.
Start with the basics
Before thinking about games or entertainment, a few practical things that make a backyard usable:
• Clear the winter debris — leaves, dead plants, anything that's accumulated since April
• Check the lawn. If it's compacted or patchy, late winter is actually the right time to aerate and overseed — it'll be established by the time you're using it regularly
• Get the furniture out of storage. A covered deck with chairs that are actually out there is more likely to get used than one where the chairs are in the shed
• Check your outdoor lighting. An extension cord and a string of lights is a twenty-minute job that makes the backyard usable after dark
None of this is complicated. It's just the stuff that sits on the list until October and then gets rushed.
The addition that changes how a backyard gets used
Here's something worth saying plainly: the single biggest change you can make to how much a backyard gets used is adding a game.
Not because a game is inherently magical. But because a game gives people something to do when they're in the backyard. Without one, a backyard is a place to sit. With one, it's a place to be.
Cornhole is the best version of this for a NZ backyard. It works for every age, you can play casually while you're talking, and it creates the kind of ongoing low-level competition that keeps people outside longer than they planned to be.
Games worth having before spring arrives
The anchor piece. One board for casual play, two boards for a proper game. If you've been thinking about getting a Cornhole set, late winter is actually the right time — before the spring rush, before Father's Day, before Christmas. It's ready when the season is.
Our sets are made from NZ pine and birch plywood, built for real outdoor use. Classic Natural Wood, Deluxe black-on-wood, Signature locally made with NZ marine-grade ply — or a custom design if you want something with your family name or a design that suits the backyard.
Kubb is the backyard game for people who want something that rewards actual skill. A Viking lawn game where you throw wooden batons to knock over wooden blocks before taking down the king. Tactical, team-based, and the kind of game where people get better the more they play it.
It needs a bit of lawn space but not a lot. And once it's set up, people always want to finish one more game.
Relaxed, versatile, and genuinely enjoyable for adults. Bocce Ball works on grass, gravel, a beach — almost any flat surface. Roll toward the target ball, get closer than the other team. Simple rules, real strategy, and the kind of game that works perfectly alongside a barbecue where not everyone wants to be fully committed to a more competitive game.
The NZ classic. A semi-soft ball means it works in a real backyard without the windows-at-risk anxiety. Pull it out at the first warm weekend in September and it'll be one of those things that gets used right through summer (and longer if you're happy to just chuck a jacket on).
Get it sorted in August, use it all spring and summer
The practical advantage of getting the backyard ready now rather than in October is simple: you're not competing with the general rush of summer. You have time to set things up properly, get some practice in, and have the backyard actually ready when the warm weekends arrive.
Everything from Backyard Games NZ ships with free NZ shipping.
Browse the outdoor games range →
Or if you know you want Cornhole, start there →
