Kauri Cliffs golf The course that arguably changed the way the world viewed golf in New Zealand is celebrating 25 years since it first opened in 1999.
Before 1999, New Zealand and golf meant two things: Sir Bob Charles and the beautiful golf course at Paraparaumu Beach. American investor Julian Robertson brought a new standard and identity to golf in New Zealand with the construction of a new cliff-top golf course and then the elegant lodges at Rosewood Kauri Cliffs. Now, 25 years later, this resort formula has been replicated across the archipelago and today it is considered by many enthusiasts to be one of the most luxurious golf destinations on the planet.
“Many people credit Sandhills and Bandon Dunes with creating a special category called ‘remote links’ and I agree,” says Ray Jeffery, director of golf at Kauri Cliffs and its sister course, Cape Kidnappers Golf Club, “but I believe kauri has had a similar impact – not just in New Zealand but globally.”
“Firstly, if Kauri had not been ranked in the world’s top 100 in 2003, Cape Kidnappers might not have existed. But the success of Kauri, and the Cape, certainly paved the way for the boutique, secluded, ultra-luxury golf resorts that have opened here and around the world in the 21st century. So Kauri Cliffs proved that people will travel great distances to experience that level of luxury in a secluded location. That became our motto: play as if no one is watching, because it really is your own place.”
Kauri Cliffs was designed by Nicklaus protégé David Harmon, who visited 42 times from his home in Florida during the design and construction phase. Robertson offered him a stunning subtropical setting and free rein. Harmon, a former shaper, responded by creating a modern masterpiece where the dramatic elevation changes and contours of both nine holes compete. The designer also created clever routes that snake along lush valley floors, spanning deep ravines and always returning to cliffs that tower more than 50 metres above the beach below.
It’s this coastline that has led Kauri Cliffs to continually rank as one of the most beautiful golf courses on the planet, boasting sweeping views across the Cavalli Islands to the South Pacific Ocean — by 2003, the course was actually ranked among the top 100 courses on the planet (it’s currently ranked 55th by Golf Digest magazine). The adjacent lodge exudes antebellum elegance and charm.
In fact, Kauri Cliffs’ “stay and play” proposition has effectively popularised the formula across the golfing world. There are beautiful, secluded golf courses everywhere – the trick is to create accommodation to match.
New Zealand’s reputation for luxury lodges – intimate, luxurious, sometimes eccentric but always in tune with the surrounding landscape – predates Kauri Cliffs. Taupo’s famous Huka Lodge opened in 1924. In designing the kauri plantation-style lodge and 22 guest cottages, Robertson and his wife Josie looked to the example of Huka and other lodges. They later designed one of Tom Doak’s finest course designs, next door to his chic, post-modern lodge at Cape Kidnappers near Hawke’s Bay.
This is the model: a golf course with spectacular views and bespoke lodges of equally spectacular quality. A dozen resorts have been developed in tribute to it across New Zealand’s North and South Islands. But it’s the same formula offered at Adare Castle in Ireland, Costa Navarino in Greece, the South Cape Club off the coast of Korea and the Cabot properties in North America, and the list goes on.
“If you think about what these resorts are selling, it’s luxury and solitude,” Jaffre says. “It’s playing world-class golf on the edge of the known world, playing your own game because no one is watching. You can’t get that feeling anywhere else, not even at the finest private clubs.”
“Of course, golf has a long tradition of great accommodation being built alongside great courses, especially on the seafront. But those hotels have traditionally been quite large, corporate and sometimes impersonal. Kauri’s example is just the opposite. We host buddy trips where just eight guys stay for a few days – it’s a special kind of luxury atmosphere that didn’t exist until 1999.”
A lot has changed in 25 years, and Geffle is right: Kauri recently added three four-bedroom residences suited to golfing buddies or family getaways. In keeping with Robertson tradition, all 22 guest suites feature unique, constantly updated décor, fireplaces, walk-in closets and private porches with views worthy of even the most discerning Instagrammer.
Robertson passed away in 2022, but his family retains ownership of all three New Zealand properties. From 1 December 2023, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has been entrusted with the hospitality operations of Rosewood Kauri Cliffs, Rosewood Cape Kidnappers and Rosewood Matakauri in Queenstown.