Private
One player, one coach. Fully tailored to your game, and the fastest way to improve.
- Players
- 1
- Best for
- Fast progress
Lessons
Coaching that fits you
Book on your own, bring a friend, or put a small group together. Every lesson is planned around where you're at and where you want to get to.
Semi-private
Two players sharing a lesson. Great for friends, siblings or doubles partners, and you split the cost.
- Players
- 2
- Best for
- Pairs & siblings
Groups
Small private groups or our junior group blocks, sorted by ball colour stage. Fun, social and plenty of match play.
- Players
- 3+
- Best for
- Fun & value
Lesson length
Choose 30, 45 or 60 minutes. Younger kids usually suit shorter sessions; older players and adults get more out of a full hour.
How pricing works
The price depends on the number of players and the lesson length. The more players in the lesson, the less each person pays.
Blocks of lessons
Lessons run in blocks, usually over a school term, so you build real progress week to week.
How to book
The best way to book is through our enquiry form. It gives us everything we need so we can get back to you faster with the right lesson, available times and pricing.
Juniors
Junior groups
Juniors progress through our colour-coded levels, with each colour marking a stage in their development. Players move up when they're ready, and we group them by age and ability, so kids learn alongside others at a similar level and every player is challenged and having fun.
Light Blue
Ages 3–4. Movement, balance and first racket skills.
Blue
Ages 4–5. Coordination, tracking the ball and hitting with control.
Red
Beginners. Building the basic strokes and first rallies.
Orange
Developing players. Serving, longer rallies and learning to score.
Green
Advanced juniors. Match play, tactics and getting ready for club and tournament tennis.
School holidays · Summer 2026/27
Summer holiday programmes
Tennis days for juniors at Whanganui Tennis Club, 9am–2pm.
-
Dec 202621–23
Social players
All about fun: games, challenges and team play.
-
Jan 202718–19
Competitive players
Day 1 is drills, fitness, technique and strategy. Day 2 is match play and a 1-point tournament.
-
Jan 202720–22
Social players
All about fun: games, challenges and team play.
Prices and full details are still being finalised. Register your interest and we'll email you updates directly.
Register your interest
admin@rivercitytennis.co.nz
Programmes
More ways to play
Schools
Hand & Eye Racket Skills
A six-lesson programme run in class time, building coordination and confidence in young kids. Running in schools and kura across Whanganui, Rangitīkei and South Taranaki.
School holidays
Holiday programmes
Fun, active tennis days during the school holidays for a range of ages and stages. See the summer dates
High performance
Development Squad
Weekly squad training for our top juniors, led by our Regional Head Coach.
Adults
Adult coaching
Complete beginners through to club players. Learn modern technique, get match-ready, or prepare for a doubles competition.
Ball machine hire
Train on your own time
Set your own drills from the app and hit hundreds of balls an hour. Warm up before your lesson, or lock in what you’ve learnt after.
$25 / hour
- Available during set hire times
- We set up and pack down the machine for you
- Children must be supervised by a parent
Email us to book:
admin@rivercitytennis.co.nz
- Email usSend your preferred day, time and how long you'd like the machine to admin@rivercitytennis.co.nz.
- We confirmWe'll confirm your booking and send you our hire terms, plus instructions for running the machine from the app or remote.
- Turn up and playWe'll have the machine set up on court and ready to go when you arrive.
- We pack downWhen your hour's up, leave the machine with us and we'll pack it away.
Our team
The people behind River City Tennis
Sam Butters
Co-founder & Coach
Twenty years in tennis, from junior player to coach. Sam coaches and organises the setup behind our lessons and group programmes, and manages the Whanganui junior and senior rep teams.
Shinnaye Young
Co-founder & Administrator
Shinnaye keeps River City Tennis running behind the scenes, from enquiries and bookings to the day-to-day admin, so our coaches can focus on the court.
Richard Ooko
Regional Head Coach
Richard brings a wealth of international coaching knowledge and high-performance experience to Whanganui. He designs and runs his own coaching sessions, leads the Development Squad and coaches private lessons.
Reviews
What people say
5.0
average rating on Setmore
“The kids have so much fun while working on useful skills. Highly recommend! My son looks forward to his lesson every week.”
Ash · Junior parent “Sam clearly explained the different hand and racquet strokes. He answered my questions and encouraged me.”
Anna · Adult lessons “Richard is a wonderful coach. He is enthusiastic, positive and was so encouraging towards my grandson, who left his first one-on-one session enthused and eager to carry on.”
Mignon · Grandparent
Get started
Tell us what you're after
Fill out the enquiry form and we'll find a time that works and the right lesson or group for you.