Golf in New Zealand

Kauri Cliffs sits on farmland above Matauri Bay, about 30 minutes from Kerikeri airport in Northland. Most holes look out over the Pacific and the Cavalli Islands, several play along cliff edges more than 100 m above the sea, and the inland holes run through native bush. It is a resort course attached to a luxury lodge, with forecaddies, a practice range and immaculate conditioning. Combine it with the beaches and history of the Bay of Islands, an hour south, covered in our New Zealand beaches and islands guide.

Te Arai Links, about 90 minutes north of Auckland near Mangawhai, opened its two courses in the early 2020s and went straight into world rankings. The South Course is by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, the North by Tom Doak, both on sand dunes along an empty Pacific beach. Both are walking only, and they alternate daily between members and visitors, so you can play only one course on a given day. If you are not staying on site, tee times open just 28 days ahead. Next door, Tara Iti is a private members’ club and not open to visitors.

Cape Kidnappers is Tom Doak’s design on a set of grassy fingers that end in sheer cliffs above Hawke Bay, about 45 minutes from Napier airport and a little less from Hastings. The famous 15th, Pirate’s Plank, runs out along a narrow ridge with a drop on both sides. The wind is part of every round, so take more club than you think and keep the ball low. The course shares a gannet colony headland with a working farm and a luxury lodge.

Cape Kidnappers and Kauri Cliffs share an owner and a price list. For 2024-2025 the international 18-hole fee was NZ$739 (about US$420) in high season from November to March and NZ$517 in the shoulder months, with Australians and New Zealanders paying less. Te Arai charges international players NZ$975 for most of the year and NZ$700 from July to September. Hawke’s Bay also has plenty of cheaper golf near the wineries of Hastings and Havelock North.

Jack’s Point, 20 minutes south of Queenstown, follows the shore of Lake Wakatipu under the Remarkables, with tees on rocky outcrops and fairways through golden tussock. Visitor fees are around NZ$350 to 400 including a shared cart in summer; book ahead.

Millbrook Resort, on the edge of Arrowtown, has 27 holes in three nines and co-hosts the New Zealand Open with The Hills, a private course next door. For the 2025-2026 high season Millbrook’s visitor 18-hole fee was NZ$245 for the Remarkables course and NZ$375 for the Coronet course, falling to NZ$135 in the 2026 winter. The town’s own Arrowtown Golf Club is cheaper, short and rocky, with small greens and plenty of character.

Taupō, in the middle of the North Island, has two courses that justify a stop between Auckland and Wellington. Wairakei International lies inside a fenced nature reserve just north of town, with native birds and deer on a parkland layout that ranks among the country’s best. Kinloch, a Jack Nicklaus design 20 minutes west on the hills above Lake Taupō, plays like a links over rolling ground with big lake views. Rotorua, an hour north, has a geothermal course at Arikikapakapa where steaming vents and mud pools are part of the hazards.

Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club, about 50 minutes north of Wellington and facing Kapiti Island, is New Zealand’s classic links: firm, humpy fairways through coastal dunes, small greens and constant wind. It has hosted the New Zealand Open many times, including Tiger Woods’ visit in 2002. The club’s posted international fee is NZ$275, with carts extra; it books up at weekends.

Auckland has dozens of courses within an hour. Titirangi, an Alister MacKenzie design in the west of the city, is a members’ club that takes some visitors; Gulf Harbour on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula, host of the 1998 World Cup of Golf, has cliff-edge holes over the Hauraki Gulf. In Christchurch, Clearwater near the airport is the main championship course, and city clubs offer cheap weekday rounds.

Away from the resorts, many rural clubs run on volunteers. You turn up, put a few dollars in an envelope at the clubhouse honesty box, and play a course mown by a farmer, sometimes with sheep fenced off the greens. Green fees are often under NZ$50 (about US$30), and you may have the whole course to yourself on a weekday. Ask at the local information centre or just follow the signs from the highway.

New Zealand’s golf season peaks from October to April, the southern spring to autumn, with long evenings and tee times until 7pm or later in summer. December to February is busiest and priciest at the resort courses. Northland and Auckland are mild enough to play all year, while Queenstown and Central Otago bring frost delays and winter rates from June to September. Wind is the constant everywhere, especially on the coast. Our best time to visit New Zealand guide has the weather by month.

Most clubs take online bookings. Te Arai, Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers fill early from November to March, and staying at their lodges gives better access or lower fees. Carts are called carts, pull trolleys are “trundlers”, and there are no caddies except at the luxury courses. Dress codes are relaxed at country clubs, but the top resorts expect collared shirts and tailored shorts. Few courses ask for a handicap certificate. Domestic flights to Kerikeri, Napier and Queenstown make a fly-and-play trip easy; see getting around New Zealand and our New Zealand costs guide for budgeting the rest of the trip.