Positioned alongside a pristine piece of New Zealand coastline, Te Arai Links is arguably the world’s best new golf destination.
Boasting two pure links golf courses – the South course designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw that’s been open for little more than a year, and the recently opened North course designed by Tom Doak – this incredible property is just 90 minutes from Auckland and will leave you breathless at every turn.
Doak and the team at Renaissance Golf Design have fashioned the North course in the shadow of their own work: the ultra-private Tara Iti Golf Club just up the beach, a layout routinely ranked among the top courses on Earth. Add the spectacular South course and it makes for an incredible 1-2-3 punch for this stretch of beachfront.
Yet, as perhaps the most sought-after course architect in the world, Doak remains unbowed by these glittering stablemates and the high expectations they create.
“It feels a bit weird to apologise for having seven holes on the ocean, especially when the rest of our North course plays through terrain where the best comparison might be Pine Valley,” Doak says. “At Tara Iti, you’re looking at the Pacific Ocean from every hole. On Bill’s course, all but the first few holes play directly at the seaside. That’s just the reality down here, yet everyone is pleased with the way the North course stands on its own, beside each of these world-class golf courses. We honestly didn’t feel we were competing with Tara Iti or the South course. But we did want the North course to be different – and fun. We’re quite certain that we succeeded on both counts.”
The South course at Te Arai Links, the South Clubhouse, Ric’s Pizza Barn and The Playground – the resort’s huge, two-acre putting course and beating communal heart – have all been operational for a year now. The same is true for Te Arai’s collection of luxury two-bedroom cottages and suites, all of them deftly camouflaged by the surrounding dunescape.
Managing partner Jim Rohrstaff believes Te Arai Links is rapidly evolving into a dreamy links destination with few peers in either hemisphere.
“The physical, linksland attributes of this property obviously enable what we’re creating here,” Rohrstaff says. “Folks may not realise that this portion of New Zealand’s North Island is sub-tropical, so even the ‘winter months’ of June, July and August feel pretty darned summery to anyone visiting from North America, East Asia or Europe. And with the potential change in government, the idea of foreigners buying a slice of this paradise, here in New Zealand, could well become a reality.
“It’s honestly a dream come true for our entire team to have all 36 holes in play. Tom Doak, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw have each done such incredible jobs designing these two golf courses. Their work has exceeded our expectations. Yet we’re equally proud of the casual, inclusive vibe that prevails here.”
Additional accommodation and dining options, member amenities (including a spa) and a second clubhouse, are all poised to open in the next 12 months, beside 36 dreamy golf holes.
“We wanted Te Arai Links to feel different – to welcome and engage travelling golfers but also non-golfers, spouses and kids,” Rohrstaff adds. “It really does, and that’s rare.”
For more details, visit tearai.com
Photo by Ricky Robinson
