The ground is going to get plenty of work over the next few months, with the pitch about to be dug up, a new block laid down and a new maintenance system installed.
Groundsman Gary Smith has oversown the ground and in three and a-half weeks, after a lot of tender care, the ground has come up lush and green.
Smith said it normally took eight to 10 weeks to get the ground right from cricket to rugby, but he had taken up the challenge of the shorter time frame.
Central Otago had not had a typical summer, with a lot of rain before Christmas. But Smith said the past couple of weeks had been a return to normal and plenty of irrigation had been going on.
Pop-up sprinklers did not cover the whole ground, so manual watering has had to be done.
Smith had liaised with the Highlanders about the length of grass and was looking forward to watching the game tonight.
The pitch for the cricket match between Otago and the Northern Knights on December 30 was criticised after the match for its lack of pace, but Smith said weather had affected the preparation. He had worked with New Zealand Cricket before the match to get the pitch in the best possible order.
The entire pitch block in the middle of the ground would be dug up in two weeks. He said the block was 45 years old, was tired and needed to be replaced.
The new block would have five strips, up from the four it had, and would allow the ground to have a back-up pitch. He said more pitches did not make the ground so exposed to bad weather.
A new drainage and irrigation system would also be installed.
Thames Valley Rugby Football Union officials had visited the ground last month, as Otago is thinking of playing a Ranfurly Shield challenge at the ground.
The make-up of the new pitch was yet to be finalised, but it may be a mix of Kakanui and Alexandra clay.