According to the author of this article, Te Aria Links is the “best pure golf resort in the world.” Thank him for the recommendation later.
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in Volume 4 of B.H. Magazine. To get your copy (and access to future issues), subscribe here.
The helicopter banks gently over Waiheke Island’s Mudbrick Vineyard, leaving behind Auckland’s glittering harbour, as we track north towards New Zealand’s most compelling new golf destination: Te Arai Links.
The Kiwis have always had an inflated appetite for helicopters – they boast one of the highest per capita chopper fleets globally – but this particular flight serves a grander purpose than mere transport. It’s my introduction to a property that’s quietly revolutionising what a modern golf resort can be.
The 20-minute flight provides spectacular views before the distinctive ribbons of emerald fescue grass come into view, weaving through pristine white sand dunes and former plantation pine forest. As we touch down on the tightly cropped landing pad, a black van appears to take me across to the clubhouse for check-in. The sense of arrival is understated yet undeniably premium – everything here is pared back, minimalist, exuding quality without shouting about it.
Te Arai Links comprises two distinct courses: the Coore & Crenshaw-designed South Course, and Tom Doak’s more recently opened North Course. With a design pedigree such as this, the golf is sure to be exceptional, but it’s the refined details of the resort that first capture my attention.
The accommodation – 46 suites, 19 two-bedroom ocean cottages, and six four-bedroom villas – demonstrates an obsessive attention to detail. Every threshold across the property is completely flush, with no gutters or lips to navigate. It’s the kind of detail many wouldn’t notice, but as Managing Director and Co-Owner Jim Rohrstaff explains while touring the property, it speaks to their commitment to getting things right.
The rooms strike an ideal balance between luxury and restraint. Warm timber, plush carpets, cloud-like bedding, and natural stone create a genuinely relaxing atmosphere. My suite features a private balcony offering veiled ocean views through stands of pine trees, with glimpses of the course beyond. The bathrooms deserve a special mention – spacious rain showers, heated floors, plush towels, and premium local amenities make the post-round refresh particularly satisfying.
Dining at Te Arai Links is a central part of the experience with enough options to keep things fresh even across a multi-night stay. The Ocean restaurant, overlooking the 18th green of the South Course, showcases New Zealand’s finest ingredients in a relaxed fine dining setting. “My philosophy? Don’t get too serious about it all, just make it tasty,” says Executive Chef Ben Mills, who has been with the ownership group since the Tara Iti days.
During my visit, the locally caught snapper with fennel and citrus proves memorable, as does the Hawke’s Bay lamb rack (never skip the lamb in NZ, it’s different gravy). An excellent à la carte breakfast is offered daily, and for more casual fare, Ric’s Restaurant serves woodfired pizzas and elevated comfort food.
The Playground – a sprawling 2.5-acre putting course adjacent to Ric’s – becomes the social hub each evening, where guests trade stories of the day’s rounds over craft beers and cocktails.
“We want to make this fun,” explains Ric Kayne, Managing Partner of Te Arai Links. “We want people to walk off the 18th hole saying, ‘I haven’t had quite enough, I want to go again.’”
This philosophy extends beyond golf to every aspect of the experience, from the relaxed service style to the thoughtfully designed spaces that encourage guests to linger.
A Tale of Two Courses
The golf at Te Arai Links is extraordinary, but perhaps what’s more remarkable is how two distinctly different designs complement each other so perfectly.
The South Course, crafted by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, features 15 holes with ocean views, each distinctive and beautiful in their own right. Meanwhile on the North, Tom Doak and his Renaissance Golf team have created a more dramatic journey through dunes and pine forest, while still incorporating the spectacular coastline throughout the routing.
“While many courses were being stretched to egregious lengths, we took a different approach,” says Rohrstaff. “These courses have plenty of challenge, but they’re fundamentally fun.” It’s an ethos evident in both designs – generous fairways and creative ground-game options encourage players to think rather than simply overpower the course.
The project’s success stems partly from the trust placed in its designers. “We’re more producers than directors,” Kayne notes. “We chose what we thought were Picasso and Monet, and we didn’t tell them how to paint. We just said, ‘Here’s your canvas, go nuts, do your best.’”
This artistic freedom led to two courses with their own individual personalities. The South Course flows naturally through coastal dunes, its holes seeming to have been discovered rather than created. The wild downhill 4th towards the Pacific and the short 14th where local surfers provide a dynamic backdrop are particular highlights. While the North Course offers more dramatic contours – the ‘taco’ green on the short par-4 6th, and the visual feast of undulations on the 4th and 7th are standouts.
Superintendent Brian Palmer ensures both courses play firm and fast, allowing for creative shot-making along the ground. The all-fescue surfaces completely blur the lines between rough, fairway, and green, creating endless strategic options.
“The short grass around the greens gives you options and decisions to make,” says Palmer. “There are people that can bump-and-run it really well, there’s people that choose to putt, and there’s people that like a hybrid. The really good players will try to take the dramatic slopes out of play – to ‘nip it and stick it’. But that brings additional risk. So it provides something for everyone.”
The considered architecture extends beyond the courses to the clubhouses. The North Course Clubhouse, which was designed by renowned Kiwi firm Cheshire Architects (who also designed Auckland’s Hotel Britomart), exudes quality and understated charm. The rest was designed by John Irving.
“I wanted them all to be friends,” says Irving of his buildings across the property. “The brief was that they wanted nothing too showy, a fairly humble approach. So we leaned into this weathered-driftwood palette. You want them to be beautiful things, but you also want them to be in the background of nature, given how spectacular that is here.”
After three visits and over 100 holes played across both courses, and having seen most comparable destinations overseas, I can confidently say that Te Arai Links is quite literally the best pure golf resort in the world right now. It transcends traditional resort boundaries through a harmonious blend of exceptional design, thoughtful luxury, and genuine hospitality.
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