A Golf Vacation In Kiwi Land: Get Ready To Be Spoiled

Known by the native Maori people as Aotearoa, The Land of the long white cloud, New Zealand is one of the most charming island nations in the world. Well known for its beautiful beaches and sunny weather New Zealand is a hotspot for tourist activity in Oceania. Isolated from the mainland of Australia by the Tasman Sea, New Zealand is home to extraordinary flora and fauna – some of which is found only in New Zealand. Wrapped in a mild temperate climate with a near perpetual sunny weather and blessed with a diverse terrain, New Zealand lends itself well to the game of golf and is a popular golf holiday spot.

The development of golf in New Zealand is not just for the purpose of attracting golf travel, however, as the game has been played here ever since the two islands were populated by European settlers. Golf was introduced to New Zealand by the Scots when Whiskey merchant Charles Howden formed the first golf club in Dunedin near Caversham on the south-eastern coast in 1871. Now, after almost 130 years later, golf tours heading to New Zealand are reaping the benefits of this initiative.

As one of the most unspoiled golf vacation regions of the world New Zealand boasts of more than 400 courses on its two islands – the North Island and the South Island which are separated by the Cook Strait. Creatively built and assiduously maintained courses can be found in just about every city, town and village of this nation of approximately 4.1 million people. New Zealanders take pride in their prolific golf and share them with visitors with an open heart.

Start your golf travel in New Zealand with the visually stunning and eerily quiet Muriwai Golf Club in Muriwai on the west coast. A true links course, Muriwai offers naturally undulating fairways and breathtaking views of the Tasman Sea on every hole. Muriwai is a championship course that runs to 6180 m par 72 and would set your golf holiday budget by a staggering $880 but that seems like a steal when compared to the captivating view of its large greens contrasting with the famed black sand beaches.

Your golf holiday will be incomplete without a visit to the Bay of Islands where the Waitangi Golf Club awaits you with its well kept greens and fairways. The course weaves its way in and out of cliffs and hills and offers a panoramic view of the sea over the Bay of Islands and Russell and the captivating Mount Bledisloe and Puketona. All this magic can be yours for just $45 per round!

Auckland offers great golfing opportunities and you can include in your golf package courses like the Alister Mackenzie masterpiece at the Titirangi Golf Club ($120-$60), Awhitu Golf Club ($15), Clarks Beach Golf Club ($25), Maramarua Golf Club ($25) and the Charles Alison designed Maungakiekie Golf Club ($45).

Some very notable courses to play on your New Zealand golf vacation are the WairaKei International Golf Course on North Island rated as one of the top 100 courses in the world by Golf Digest ($200), The Rotorua Golf Club ($60) and Millbrook Country Club designed by Bob Charles in Arrowtown on South Island ($135-$115).

New Zealand is a dreamer’s golf holiday, this is the place you are thinking of when you doze off in front of your laptop and this is the place which, with its natural beauty and hospitality, makes it so hard to coma back from.