Commencing in the Bay of Islands and concluding in Christchurch this tour travels the length of the North Island plus Queenstown and Christchurch. As well as playing the best New Zealand golf courses there is plenty of time for additional leisure activities which we can arrange for you.
- Day 1
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Arrive Auckland – Flight to Bay of Islands
Arrive at Auckland Airport today. After clearing customs you will transfer to the domestic terminal for your flight to Kerikeri. Your Golfers Dream Representative will be at Kerikeri airport to meet you. After collecting your rental car make your way to your accommodation. The resort town of Paihia makes an excellent base for exploring the Bay of Islands. The historic Treaty House at Waitangi marks the beginning of New Zealand as a nation.
Northland
- Day 2
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Golf at Kauri Cliffs
A golfing highlight of the tour is your round at Kauri Cliffs Golf Course with amazing views over the Cavalli Islands and many holes running parallel to the Pacific Ocean. Fifteen holes view the Pacific Ocean, six of which are played alongside cliffs that plunge into the sea. The beautiful inland holes wind through marsh, forest and farmland. Golf Digest USA selected Kauri Cliffs 'Best New International Golf Course of 2001'.
Kauri Cliffs Resort
- Day 3
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Paihia to Auckland– Golf at Gulf Harbour
This morning travel south (approx 3½ hours) to the Whangaparoa Peninsula for an afternoon round at Gulf Harbour Country Club. This Robert Trent Jones 11 designed championship course combines spectacular ocean views and rolling terrain that combine to make Gulf Harbour one of NZ’s most challenging courses. The course has four tee positions enabling golfers of all abilities to enjoy the challenging layout. After golf travel onto Auckland city
Gulf Harbour Country Club
- Day 4
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Auckland to Taupo
Travel south to Taupo this morning visiting the Waitomo Glow-worm caves and Orakei Korako Thermal Park. Waitomo Caves are world renowned and a magnet for both local and overseas visitors. The Waitomo glow-worm is unique to New Zealand. Thousands of these tiny creatures radiate their unmistakable luminescent light as an expert guide provides informative commentary on the Caves' historical and geological significance.
“Orakei Korako is possibly the best thermal area left in New Zealand and one of the finest in the world” ~ Lonley Planet Guide. Also known as the Hidden Valley, Orakei Korako is a unique visitor attraction – not to be missed. It’s a geothermal wonderland, one of nature’s true gifts. Explore a world of gushing geysers, hot springs, bubbling mud pools and some of the largest and most amazing silica terraces in the world.
Lake Taupo
- Day 5
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Golf at Wairakei & Sanctuary Golf Course
The course is set out on 156 hectares of former farmland in the middle of the Wairakei Tourist Park boasting lush manicured fairways and greens, mature tree plantings and magnificent vistas. The course is challenging - sporting its fair share of water hazards and bunkers. After golf in the mid afternoon you may choose to trout fish on the pristine waters of beautiful Lake Taupo, or have an exhilarating ride on the Huka Falls Jet.
Wairakei International
- Day 6
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Taupo to Napier
Today is a free day. Travel through to Napier, the city by the sea, renowned for its 1930s Art Deco architecture, stately Norfolk pines, surrounding wineries, local fresh produce and national tourist attractions. The major entertainment on the road from Taupo to Napier is the fantastic scenery. There’s a bit of everything – rugged hills, beautiful valleys, gentle plains and huge vistas. Sightseeing options when you reach Napier today include a half-day personal wine tour, or an art deco guided walking tour.
Napier
- Day 7
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Golf at Cape Kidnappers
Your game of golf today is at Cape Kidnappers. The American designer of Cape Kidnappers, Tom Doak, who is also well known for his prize-winning courses in the US, has said that, 'If Cape Kidnappers were a book it would be an epic. Enjoy your game and enjoy the setting (because) you may never play golf somewhere like this again'. Cape Kidnappers plays above the ocean, atop dramatic cliffs and runs to and from the edge. Cape Kidnappers is built on a ridge-and-valley landscape with spectacular sea views. 2004 Course of the Year – Travel & Leisure Golf.
Cape Kidnappers Resort
- Day 8
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Hawke's Bay to Wellington
Drive south today to the Wairarapa, a rural retreat in the very heart of New Zealand. Perhaps stop in at Martinborough, a unique wine village before continuing onto Wellington, the nation’s capital. Wellington is a picture perfect city set between a magnificent harbour and rolling green hills. It is also a compact city where funky shops, exciting galleries and great restaurants are within easy walking distance.
Wellington
- Day 9
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Golf at Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club
This morning travel north along the scenic Kapiti Coast to the Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club. The course has been host to the New Zealand Open championship on twelve occasions including the 2002 New Zealand Open in which Tiger Woods played. It is rated as the best links course in the country because of its qualities as a traditional links. The well drained undulating fairways, fierce rough, fast greens and intimidating bunkers combine with the naturally windy coastal weather to create a truly challenging golfing experience.
Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club
- Day 10
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Wellington to Queenstown
Leave your rental car at Wellington airport and take a flight to Queenstown where you will collect your new car at the airport and spend the remainder of the day sightseeing. Try the daring adventure of bungy jumping, catch your breath in an exhilarating jet boat ride or take the Skyline Gondola high above Queenstown where the best views of the whole region spread before you in a magnificent panorama.
Queenstown
- Day 11
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Golf at Jacks Point Golf Course
Play the brand new Jacks Point golf course, set within one thousand acres of unspoiled rolling grasslands, montane highlands and spreading downs bounded by the Remarkables mountain range and Lake Wakatipu. It traverses through wetland to the lake edge encountering steep bluffs, indigenous vegetation and wildlife. It is designed to work with nature, not against it. Fairways are designed with minimal excavation and careful plantings to complement the natural environment, but also to give the golfer a fighting chance.
Jacks Point Golf Course
- Day 12
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Queenstown at your leisure
Today is a free sightseeing day in Queenstown. There are numerous activities for you to enjoy. Try an exhilarating ride on the Shotover Jet, speeding through the towering, rocky canyons of the South Island’s river of gold, and if you are real adrenalin junky there’s the famous Skippers Canyon Bungy Jump. There is white water rafting, four wheel driving, cruising on Lake Wakatipu, riding a gondola to the summit of Bob’s Peak for panoramic views or simply enjoying the excellent shopping and dining available.
Queenstown
- Day 13
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Queenstown at your leisure
Other Queenstown activities you may which to try today include golf at Queenstown Golf Club (also known as Kelvin Heights), golf at Millbrook Resort Course, Milford Sound Day Tour, Doubtful Sound Overnight Tour, and the TSS Earnslaw Walter Peak Cruise and Dinner.
Millbrook Resort
- Day 14
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Queenstown to Terrace Downs
Heading North from Queenstown the vineyards of the Gibbston area are the first temptation on your journey followed by the restored heart of Cromwell, before you launch yourself into the beautiful Lindis Pass. Visit The Aoraki Mount Cook National Park and view the highest peak in Australasia (Mt Cook – 3,755m). Take the road to Lake Tekapo with its opaque turquoise colour, caused by fine, glacier-ground rock particles held in suspension. The Church of the Good Shepherd and the sheepdog statue are great photo opportunities. The drive then continues through Mackenzie Country to the foot of Mount Hutt where you will find Terrace Downs High Country Resort.
Lake Tekapo & Mt Cook
- Day 15
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Terrace Downs to Christchurch – Golf at Terrace Downs Resort
After breakfast this morning, enjoy a round of golf at the Terrace Downs Course. Magnificent scenery surrounds you as the quiet solitude of the countryside lets you relax and concentrate on your game. The course sits at an altitude of 450 metres, has four-position tees, generously wide fairways, but 70 bunkers, numerous grass hazards and eight lakes. After your golf, you have a 1-hour drive to Christchurch.
Terrace Downs Resort
- Day 16
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Christchurch at your leisure
Today is at leisure for optional sightseeing and to explore the Christchurch and Canterbury area. Unfortunately much of the city centre has been destroyed by the February 2011 earthquake but there are still many options such as a full day return scenic train ride on the Tranz Alpine Railway through the Southern Alps to Greymouth on the West Coast, a tour to Kaikoura for Whale Watching or a drive over the Port Hills to Lyttleton and the beautiful Governors Bay and onto the French village of Akaroa
Christchurch
- Day 17
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Golf at Clearwater Resort
Your final round of golf is at the Clearwater Resort Course. There are elements of links and parkland golf at the Clearwater course with an abundance of water. Natural springs and crystal clear streams that are teeming with trout feed the resort’s 15 hectares of lakes. There are five-position tees, including the championship tees, and is the home of the New Zealand PGA Championship.
Clearwater Golf Club
- Day 18
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Depart New Zealand
Today your tour ends. Before you return your rental car to Christchurch International Airport for your onward flight we recommend a visit to the Antarctic Attraction re-creating the atmosphere and environment of Antarctica. Visit the Blue Penguin Encounter with its centre piece being a 70,000 litre pool, the Encounter allows you to view the Little Blue Penguins in a Banks Peninsula themed environment. If you are travelling to Auckland to check in for an international flight, on arrival at Auckland domestic Airport you will be met and accompanied to the International Airport by your Golfers Dream host.
We are happy to add or delete days and activities to ensure your holiday is the best it possibly can be.
Discover more about your New Zealand golf tour options with Golfer’s Dream.