Courses / Bay of Islands
Kauri Cliffs
Designed by David Harman and opened in 2000, Kauri Cliffs remains one of New Zealand’s most complete golf experiences. Positioned above Matauri Bay, it offers a rare proximity between lodge and course, with the first tee reached on foot.
The routing combines inland holes across rolling farmland with a sequence of coastal holes positioned directly above the Pacific. Elevation change creates a natural rhythm, while risk and reward is present throughout.
Perched above the rolling coastline of Matauri Bay, Kauri Cliffs is the modern birthplace of destination golf in New Zealand. When the Robertson family opened the course on their 6,000-acre property in late 1999, they introduced the world to a new standard of golf in New Zealand.
The name ‘Temptation’ says it all. Early on a morning in New Zealand’s Winterless North, the drivable par-four 16th presents a simple choice: take on the green or play for position.
“The scale of Kauri Cliffs is difficult to appreciate until you stay there. Of all the properties our guests visit, it is often the one they speak about most—and the one many tell us they would return to first.” Bill Hird, Golf In New Zealand, Lifestyle host.
Among its most notable moments are the cliff-edge holes overlooking the Cavalli Islands, where land and ocean come fully into view. It is a course where the quality of the golf is matched by the ease with which it is experienced.