Te Arai Links: Top 100 Golf Resorts in the World

Te Arai Links
Te Arai Links
3 Photos

Quick Facts

  • Number of Rooms

    73
  • Amenities

    Restaurant/bar/food truck / Yoga classes / Pickleball / Tennis/ Hiking trails / Horseback riding
  • Number of courses

    2
  • Course designers

    South Course (Coore & Crenshaw), North Course (Tom Doak)

Resort Overview

Imagine a coastal setting worthy of a postcard, a surfer’s paradise on the North Island of New Zealand where the ocean washes against alabaster beaches, which give way to unspoiled swaths of dunes and pines. Now add two stellar courses to the picture, both by modern-minimalist masters. The first to open at Te Arai was the South Course, a Coore-Crenshaw design that seizes on a canvas of sandy landforms while working over ridges and into valleys, with 16 holes that offer water views and eight that sit hard by the sea. The North Course, by Tom Doak, will be unveiled in October, treating golfers to a walk that starts and finishes on the ocean but provides its greatest drama on its inland holes, where the terrain has been likened to that of Pine Valley. In its look and feel, the resort is akin to the courses, meaning upscale but understated, with eco-conscious accommodations that blend seamlessly into their surrounds.

Highlights

Te Arai Links
PLAY

The Playground is a 2-acre practice putting green, on which guests can have drinks delivered

Te Arai Links
EAT

Ric’s Pizza Barn sits adjacent to the putting green, offering wood-fired pies and other farm-fresh cuisine

Te Arai Links
RELAX

Helicopter tours and transfers can be arranged to suit all guests

3 things to know

  • Best time to go

    November-April
  • Best non-golf ammenity

    Stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking.
  • Insider Tip

    In an area with no shortage of coastal beauty, nearby Mangawhai Head Beach stands out for its restfulness and scenery.