NEW ZEALAND - NOVEMBER 2025
A golf trip to New Zealand really is unlike any other.
For those of us travelling from Northern Europe it is certainly quite a long trip to get there. But when you arrive you are greeted by a country of such beauty and such diversity that you instantly know every hour of the flight was worth it.
The golf in New Zealand is thrilling, but it is also fairly spread out! I have constructed this itinerary to ensure that we will experience both the great golf and also have the opportunity to see some of the country too.
The trip starts in Auckland where we will play Alister Mackenzie’s Titirangi before heading north to the recent creations of Te Arai Links. Judge for yourself whether you prefer Coore and Crenshaw’s South Course or Doak’s North. It’s a debate which will rage on for years to come I’m sure!
From there we will head to another Tom Doak top 100 world course, Cape Kidnappers. It’s one of the most spectacular pieces of land to have ever seen a golf course built. From there we head to Paraparaumu Beach, maybe the only true links on the trip. We finish off with a visit to the South Island and the wonderful setting of Queenstown. We will play three more rounds in spectacular Lord of the Rings territory.
We will stay at good quality hotels all of the way and the trip includes all golf, hotels, transport as well as several group meals.
If there is enough interest we will have an option of adding a couple of days at the beginning to play Kauri Cliffs in the north before the main group arrive.
UK Golf Guy trips provide a fantastic opportunity to meet up with like minded people and to have some fun both on and off the course. Whether coming on your own or with a few friends this is a great way to discover New Zealand and its golf courses.
To book a place, or learn more, please email me at david@ukgolfguy.com.
You can see the full brochure with hotel pictures AT THIS LINK. But here are the highlights -
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 2ND
You should fly into Auckland airport and transfer to the Hilton Hotel where we will meet up in the evening and enjoy a welcome meal together in the city.
It’s an excellent waterfront hotel located on Princes Wharf, offering stunning views of Waitematā Harbour.
MONDAY NOVEMBER 3RD
Titirangi, meaning 'Fringe of Heaven' in Maori, is a historic golf club on the outskirts of Auckland, featuring the only course in the country designed by renowned architect Dr. Alister MacKenzie. Despite occasional narrowness, the design feels spacious, playing longer than the scorecard suggests. Notable features include impressive par threes, such as the triple-tier 7th green and the Redan-styled 11th
After the round we will drive north to Te Arai Links where we will be staying for the next two nights developments in the world - Te Arai Links. Not only home to two wonderful golf courses, the facilities here are fantastic from beginning to end.
The Suites at Te Arai Links are luxurious, offering 45m2 (484sf) of beautifully appointed space with contemporary details. The Suites overlook The South Course and in some instances provide views of the Pacific Ocean and islands beyond. Located just a short walk from the South Clubhouse, Pizza Barn and practice facilities, located in the heart of the property.
We will eat together in the clubhouse tonight.
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 4TH
The world has been waiting with baited breath for Tom Doak's North course at Te Arai to open. When it did, in October 2023, it immediately garnered fantastic reviews.
Doak describes the course thus -
The North Course starts and finishes on the ocean, but for me the unique character of the course will be found inland. The green of the par-4 5th hole, and the next tee, sit high on a ridge adjacent to an ancient Māori Pa, or hill fortress, built from the largest dune on the property, while the 4th, 6th, 7th and 9th greens sit in a shared bowl amongst the dunes.
Possibly the most dramatic holes on the course will be the 11th and 13th. The former is a long par-5 with an elevated green and a ‘whirlpool’ hazard to the right, some seven meters below the green. The 13th is a long par-4 with its green at the edge of a huge natural bunker, so that second shots have to be played over the sand or safely around to the left. It’s a hole very reminiscent of Pine Valley in New Jersey, and indeed so is much of the inland terrain at Te Arai.
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 5TH
The South course, designed by Coore and Crenshaw, opened a year before Doak's North and has gone straight into GOLF World Top 100 at number 85.
The magazine's description is enough to make you want to get on a plane straight away -
Playing Te Arai South is a beautiful experience where the linksland rises perfectly from the beach, mesmerizing the golfer with white sand below, the Pacific Ocean beyond and the islands in the distance.
Whilst the early holes dance in and out of the woods, from the 5th hole onwards, Te Arai South unfolds into a mind-bendingly fun stretch of coastal golf featuring thrilling short holes, an array of fun short fours and some bold, diverse, restrained and zany greens punctuated by the Sitwell inspired sixteenth.
No commentary on the South course at Te Arai is complete without a nod to the wee 17th which, no matter how hard the wind is blowing, is one of the greatest 100 yard holes in world golf.”
After the round we will fly from Auckland to Napier and check in to the four star Crown Hotel in Napier for the next two nights. We will eat as a group tonight. Probably discussing which was our favourite course at Te Arai!
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 6TH
Today we will play Cape Kidnappers. GOLF Magazine have just ranked this Tom Doak as the 55th best course in the world and their write-up captures the course well -
Drone shots of this course are evocative, showing holes located on fingers of land 500 feet above the Pacific Ocean. But golf is played from the ground, not the air, and that’s just fine here as the tumbling landforms are ideal for golf.
The course’s most famous hole is also its most feared, the 650-yard, par-5 15th, which falls away on both sides of the fairway and sports a horizon green perched precariously on a bluff overlooking the ocean.
Architecture buffs are likely to be just as captivated by the playing angles at the preceding hole, a short two-shotter with a Road Hole green complex.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 7TH
We will drive to Paraparaumu Beach this morning and we will arrive in time for lunch. There is no doubt that Paraparaumu Beach is a true links. The course is actually slightly inland from the coast, but the rectangular site is pure, sandy links ground, including all of the wonderful undulations and bumps that sort of terrain gives you.
The routing is fascinating. You start with holes 1-6 which go up and down the middle of the property, before doing an entire lap round the outside on holes 7-14, before heading back through the middle of the course. It’s a fantastic layout which uses the site to full effect.
After the round we will drive to Wellington, where we are staying for the night.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 8TH
We will fly to Queenstown today for an afternoon game at Jack’s Point.
With a backdrop of 2300 vertical metres of the Remarkables mountain range and an armchair view of an outstanding lake panoramas, Jack's Point Golf course is one of the most visually spectacular courses in the world.
The course has been designed around the natural landscape, with minimal excavation. The course measures 6986 yards from the championship tees and is built on the most spectacular of Jack's Point terrain, weaving through native tussock grasslands, dramatic rock outcrops, steep bluffs and swathes of native bush to the edge of Lake Wakatipu.
We will check in at the Crown Plaza in the heart of Queenstown. It enjoys panoramic views over The Remarkables mountain range and Lake Wakatipu, New Zealand's longest lake.
Just across the road is Steamer Wharf where you will find dining, bars and entertainment - we will eat together as a group tonight.
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 9TH
Queenstown is blessed several modern courses with spectacular settings that wow visitors from around the world. But to come through these parts and not play Arrowtown would be a travesty. It’s a tribute to a bygone era which is just great fun to play. It may end up being the course you remember best.
Nine holes were opened here in the 1930s and then a further nine added the other side of Queenstown to Arrowtown road in the 1970s. Originally, they played the older nine first but have recently swapped them round. While they occupy different types of land the two nines work well together.
The word ‘quirky’ is often banded around when describing shorter courses, but no-one can deny Arrowtown deserves the moniker. It’s quirk personified!
MONDAY NOVEMBER 10TH
We will play at The Hills today.
Owned by Kiwi entrepreneur Sir Michael Hill, The Hills has evolved from the modest beginnings of a short par 3 hole to become a world class championship golf course. The 18-hole layout was designed by Darby Partners and opened in 2007 to host the NZ Open.
It is ranked as the 9th best course in New Zealand by top100golfcourses.com.
Set over 500 acres of land across a glacial valley, the layout highlights the dramatic elevation changes and rocky schist outcrops that are a feature of the area.
This championship layout provides a serious challenge for accomplished players while thoughtful and considerate design means that the golf course is equally enjoyable for golfers of all abilities.
We will have dinner at The Hills with our prizegiving ceremony before heading back to Queenstown.
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 11TH
We we arrange transfers back to the airport this morning for flights home
PRICING AND TERMS
PACKAGE PRICE
· £6,950 per person, based on twin/double accommodation. Single supplement of £1,200.
· A 50% non-refundable deposit is required at time of booking, with the balance due 90 days before travel
· We strongly recommend that insurance be purchased at time of deposit
PACKAGE INCLUSIONS
· 9 nights accommodation as itemised on a bed and breakfast basis
· 8 rounds of golf as itemised
· All transfers to/from airport and golf courses and internal flights.
· 5 group meals as itemised
· Pull trollies on all courses
All taxes, VAT and hotel service charges
Not Included
· Air fare – we can suggest arrival and departure times
· Personal items such as mini bar, laundry etc