It may be too ambitious but ya gotta start big!
Here is my list of some lesser known courses that really capture the essence of golf in New Zealand IMO - all have green fees less than $50nzd
given your itinerary Iâve focused on the north island working from bottom to top although some are on the west so you would be doing a bit of cross crossing to hit them all
- Waverley golf club $10 green fees amazing layout, sheep roaming the fairways but super fun and amazing testament to Idea that some imagination and a good site is all you need for a great course
- rangatira - fun course over three distinct levels featuring a cable car to lift you from the 18th green back up to the clubhouse. Every hole is downhill!
- ngamotu in New Plymouth. Scenic parkland style course wirh native nz trees on display and beautiful views of mount Taranaki on display
- arikikapakapa in Rotorua - playing golf through a geothermally active area including a few holes over bubbling lakes etc
- te puke in the bay of plenty - Iâm biased because I grew up playing here, but IMO this is a quintessential example of utilitarian welcoming kiwi golf club. Great layout well maintained very friendly membership.
- ahipara in northlandâŚI would go here rather than carrington
If youâre coming for 3 weeks you should definitely tack on an extra few days to go to Queenstown and play arrowtown, jacks point and the new millbrook 18. Three of the top courses in NZ all less than half an hour drive apart (not to mention in the most beautiful part of the country if you have someone travelling with you)
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Great. Thank you. Clearly lots of plannjng to be doneâ not to mention hikes etc.
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youâre off to a good start by planning for 3 weeks. Iâve had a number of friends come for a week to visit new zealand thinking everything is right next to each other and then spend half the time in the car driving from place to place.
Bear in mind that if you want to do the great multi day walks you will need to book a hut and they fill up fast. Day walks (I recommend the Tongariro crossing in Taupo as a good one) you donât need to book anything
I live in Wellington, not a member of either of the courses on your list but would be happy to join you for a game when you make it down. March/April is the best time of the year for golf weather wise IMO
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Echo most of what @gentles has said (two Wellingtonians on the same thread?!). We donât have much in the way of motorways/freeways here so although distances can look short, the roads are narrow and windy compared with what youâll be used to. For example, your drive from Wellington to Napier will take you a little over four hours, if you donât stop.
Rangatira is a great little course but might not fit with your driving route which, while long, doesnât have a lot of backtracking which is excellent. If you end up in Rotorua, Iâd avoid Arikikapakapa, in my opinion itâs a boring up and down slog over parkland with only the last four holes making use of the thermal features. Lakeview is a way better course in the area for less money and with, unsurprisingly, great views of the lake. Canât believe a BOP lad would leave off the links at Ĺhope! What a brilliant course that is.
Tongariro Crossing is a brilliant day walk. Great thing to do if youâre spending a few days in the TaupĹ area. More than happy to host you both at Royal Wellington when the time comes, and always keen for a Paraparaumu round!
@gentles where do you play?
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Shandon (Duncan cup champions)
I like Ohope but given there heâs going to play some of the best links we have to offer not sure how much more youâd get out of Ohope, plus as i said Iâm biased growing up in te puke!
In reflection to be honest if I was coming here for the first time Iâd spend any extra time exploring rather than just golf!
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I think my invite is the only thing missing!
That looks amazing and also great to get the NZ members activated!
As an aside, the next drop from NLU has landed in Aus and will be going up on the site as soon as it lands on the doorstep. Plenty of towels, caps, tees and other bits and pieces including some very cool looking tie dye stuff.
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Agreed.
Trying to figure best 21 days in North Island.
Golf every otherday. Explore and hike every other day.
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Arrange Australia first or arrange New Zealand first? Which is tougher to book?
If youâre in at Tara iti already the rest will be easy as long as you donât want to play Saturday or Sunday morning. Tourism is pretty quiet in nz here now and by April youâre into the shoulder season anyway
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Distances a little bigger than Scotland or Ireland so am finding it harder to space it out properly.
Booking working out pretty well though it takes some time to answer.
Cape Kidnappers and Kauri Cliffs hugely expensive to stay at.
Those resorts are not for locals thatâs for sure
You can stay in Napier or nearby for kauri cliffs if youâre looking for vastly more affordable options. We stayed at an Airbnb 10 minutes from the entrance to kidnappers when we played it
Most non resort courses donât plan out more than a few months so wouldnât bother with booking those until you are way closer to being here. If youâre a single and flexi with time I would say you could just give them a call a few days before even
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How difficult is it to get a tee time at CK and KC if you arent staying there?
I played Kidnappers when not staying there, had the course to myself
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should be no issue especially if youâre flexi during the day on timing. We stayed at an Airbnb ten mins up the road from kidnappers. Kauri cliffs you might have to find somewhere a bit further away
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Lots of great nz courses to choose from
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If youâre playing Kauri thereâs a great campground at Matauri Bay which is just a hop skip and a jump away. Or thereâs plenty of Air Bnbs in the township.
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Suggested place to stay if playing Tieke Estate, Titirangi, Muriwai and Wainui on consecutive days and in that order?
If youâre after one place, and with Tieke being your outlier, I would suggest somewhere in west Auckland, like Huapai. Lots of boutique wineries, a brewery, great food and itâs pretty.
However if it was me, Iâd spend a night in Mt Eden area after Tieke. Itâs close enough to Titirangi and has all you want in terms of food and drink plus easy access to central Auckland if you want to head in. Then itâs easy to head west to Muriwai etc. afterwards.
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