Tom Doak
Southern Hemisphere
Golf Trips in New Zealand
Eleven courses, two islands, and a routing built around your group.
New Zealand — overview
New Zealand packs Cape Kidnappers, Kauri Cliffs, and both Te Arai Links courses into a country you can cross in a day's drive, then adds fiords, wine country, and geothermal valleys most golfers never see. Routing runs across two islands, so the trip works whether your group wants six rounds or three plus real sightseeing.
- Best months
- October through April is New Zealand's golf season, with December through March delivering the firmest fairways and driest weather on both islands. Queenstown and the South Island run cooler and more variable than the North Island even in midsummer, so pack for both.
- Typical length
- 10-14 nights, both islands
What makes it special
Why play golf in New Zealand.
New Zealand puts four courses regularly ranked in Golf Digest's World Top 100 within reach of one trip: Cape Kidnappers and Kauri Cliffs on ocean-front cliffs, and both Te Arai Links courses on open dunesland. Add John Darby's Jack's Point on Lake Wakatipu and Jack Nicklaus's only New Zealand design at Kinloch, and the golf alone justifies the flight. What sets the trip apart is the scenery around the rounds: gannet colonies, geothermal valleys, and Milford Sound sit a short drive or flight from the courses, so non-golfers in the group have as much to do as the golfers.
New Zealand's golf reputation rests on a small number of courses that have reshaped how the game gets ranked outside the US and UK. Cape Kidnappers and Kauri Cliffs, both perched on cliffs above the Pacific, and Te Arai Links' two courses on open dunesland north of Auckland, regularly place in Golf Digest's World Top 100. All four sit on the North Island, within a manageable domestic flight of each other.
The South Island's golf centers on Queenstown, where Jack's Point runs along Lake Wakatipu beneath the Remarkables and a new John Darby design at Glendhu Bay on Lake Wanaka is set to open in 2026. Both put alpine scenery in play that no North Island course can match, and both sit close enough to Milford Sound and Arrowtown that non-golfers in the group have somewhere to go on golf days.
Round out a trip with courses built for their own reasons to visit: Kinloch Club, New Zealand's only Jack Nicklaus Signature design, on Lake Taupo; Titirangi, the country's sole Alister MacKenzie routing, a short drive from downtown Auckland; and Paraparaumu Beach and Royal Wellington, both long-running hosts of the New Zealand Open near Wellington. Eleven courses across two islands means the itinerary can lean toward marquee names or spread wider, depending on how many days the group has.
Signature courses
The courses that define New Zealand.
These six get built into nearly every routing we put together; the rest of the eleven course options fill in around them depending on which island the group wants to prioritize.
- David Harman
Kauri Cliffs
- Tom Doak
Te Arai Links — North Course
Plan your trip
When to go, how to get there.
- Best time to visit
- October through April is New Zealand's golf season, with December through March delivering the firmest fairways and driest weather on both islands. Queenstown and the South Island run cooler and more variable than the North Island even in midsummer, so pack for both.
- Weather & climate
- The North Island runs temperate to subtropical, with Hawke's Bay and the Bay of Islands staying warm and relatively dry in summer; expect coastal wind at exposed links like Te Arai and Cape Kidnappers. The South Island is more alpine — Queenstown sees cooler temperatures and faster-changing weather year-round, so layers matter even in December and January.
- Typical trip length
- 10-14 nights, both islands
- Getting there
- Auckland is the country's main international gateway and the easiest port of entry for a North Island-focused trip; Queenstown also receives direct international flights from Australia and works well as a starting point for a South Island trip. Between regions, expect a mix of short domestic flights and chartered aircraft — the drive from Hawke's Bay to the Bay of Islands runs well over eight hours on narrow, winding roads, which is why remote lodges like Kauri Cliffs are typically reached by air. A rental car covers day trips around a single base (Queenstown, Hawke's Bay, Bay of Islands) but isn't practical for stringing multiple regions together.
- Nearest airports
- AKL (Auckland) · ZQN (Queenstown) · WLG (Wellington) · NPE (Napier/Hawke's Bay) · TUO (Taupo) · KKE (Kerikeri/Bay of Islands)
- Who it's best for
- Groups who want top-100 golf on both islands and full non-golf programming for anyone not playing.
- Trip styles
- Buddies tripMulti-generationalCouplesLuxuryBucket list
Off the course
Local culture in New Zealand.
Post-round life in New Zealand runs through wine country as much as clubhouses. Hawke's Bay, the country's oldest wine region, sits minutes from Cape Kidnappers, and Matakana's cellar doors are a short drive from Te Arai. Auckland adds Waiheke Island's vineyards and harbor dining, Queenstown pairs alpine scenery with Arrowtown's gold-rush-era main street, and the Bay of Islands ties Kauri Cliffs to Waitangi, the site where Māori chiefs and the British Crown signed New Zealand's founding treaty in 1840.
Frequently asked
New Zealand golf FAQs.
What's the best time of year to golf in New Zealand?
New Zealand's golf season runs roughly October through April, the Southern Hemisphere's spring through autumn. December through March brings the warmest, driest conditions on both islands, though Queenstown and the South Island stay cooler and more changeable than the North Island even in midsummer.
How many days do I need for a New Zealand golf trip?
A trip covering both islands typically runs 10 to 14 nights once you add the domestic flights between regions. A single-island trip focused on the North Island (Cape Kidnappers, Kauri Cliffs, Te Arai) or the South Island (Jack's Point, Glendhu Bay) can work well in 6 to 8 nights.
Should I golf the North Island or the South Island?
The North Island holds most of the ranked courses — Cape Kidnappers, Kauri Cliffs, and both Te Arai Links layouts — plus geothermal Taupo and the Bay of Islands. The South Island centers on Queenstown, where Jack's Point and the new Glendhu Bay course (opening 2026) sit alongside Milford Sound and alpine scenery groups often want to see regardless of golf.
Are Te Arai Links and Cape Kidnappers walking-only?
Both courses at Te Arai Links are walking-only, with caddies available on request depending on availability. Cape Kidnappers and Kauri Cliffs offer golf carts.
How do groups get between golf regions in New Zealand?
Domestic flights connect Auckland, Queenstown, Wellington, and regional airports near Napier, Taupo, and the Bay of Islands. Some remote lodges, including Kauri Cliffs, are reached by a short chartered flight rather than a multi-hour drive on narrow coastal roads.
What does a New Zealand golf trip cost?
Pricing depends on the courses, accommodation tier, and group size, since every itinerary is custom-built. JEL provides a full cost breakdown across golf, lodging, transportation, and activities once the routing is set.
Can non-golfers come on a New Zealand golf trip?
Yes. JEL builds parallel, non-golf programming for every day golfers are on the course — gannet colony and wine country visits near Cape Kidnappers, a Milford Sound cruise near Queenstown, Waiheke Island near Auckland — and the full group typically reconnects for dinner.
Do I need to bring my own golf clubs?
Most of the featured courses offer rental sets, though golfers serious about the trip typically travel with their own clubs given the caliber of the courses. JEL can advise on rental options and airline club-transport policies before you travel.
Nearby regions
Other regions worth a look.
Ready when you are
Let's plan your New Zealand trip.
Share your dates, group size, and the courses you have in mind — we'll reply within 48 hours with a tailored itinerary and secured tee times.