kiwi
tigers
Rarely do you find such a great
golf course, let alone two.
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57
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INSPIRATION
CAPE KIDNAPPERS
top of
its game
he Farm at Cape Kidnappers in Hawke’s
Bay has been open for less than two
years, yet its dramatic par-71
championship golf course designed by
Tom Doak is already considered among the world’s
best. The most recent US Golf Digest ranking rates
it as the 13th best golf course outside the US, while
the London Daily Telegraph suggested it was indeed
the “best in the world”.
Sister property to Kauri Cliffs, its 18 holes stretch
a formidable 6500 metres from the back tees out
over treacherously narrow fingers of former grazing
farmland rising some 250 metres above the sheer
chalky-white limestone cliffs of Cape Kidnappers.
Originally named by Captain Cook in 1770, today it
is home to a 20,000-strong gannet colony that is
the signature landmark of this part of New
Zealand’s North Island – giving golfers a bird’s eye
view of the imposing peninsula and a thorough
test of their skills.
As the second New Zealand property of Julian
and Josie Robertson, this 2400-hectare working
sheep and cattle station also offers luxury lodge
accommodation superbly sited high on a grassy
ridge overlooking the golf course and lush
farmlands that blend seamlessly together – with
expansive Hawke’s Bay as the backdrop. On a clear
day you can see snow-capped Mt Ruapehu, a twohour drive away. The resort is managed by the
Robertson’s’ middle son, Jay – strangely enough a
non-golfer, who is managing director of both The
Farm and Kauri Cliffs.
Down on the course, head golf professional
Jonathan Buddenhagen reckons he has the best
office in the world – the stunning clubhouse which
celebrated Auckland interior designer Virginia
Fischer has cleverly fashioned into a slick woolshed
where bales of wool straddle open ceiling rafters
above the ‘19th hole’.
Previously at The Country Club, in Brookline,
Massachusetts, Jonathan was working at Calusa
Pines Golf Club in Naples, Florida for a winter
season when he was invited to meet with the
Robertson family and subsequently moved to New
Zealand. He describes Kidnappers as “an
unbelievable piece of property – and to think
someone put a golf course on it!”.
There is very little anyone can do to prepare for a
T
course like this. It’s a jaw-dropping experience all the
way from the spectacular bay views from each
fairway – every hole has a view – to the sheer cliffs
that edge some holes with the ocean crashing below.
Jonathan assures us the course looks more
visually imposing from the tees, adding: “It’s more
benign than you think.”
Scarcely benign is the signature par-5 15th hole,
known as the ‘Pirate’s Plank’. With a fenced-off 140metre ocean cliff on one side and a 20-metre deep
ravine on the other, those scared of heights are
advised not even to take a peek.
The whole course is exposed and conditions can
be windy. In fact, you hear stories from golfers about
their ball landing behind them on occasions. Hole
three – a 194-metre par-3 – can be a real kneeknocker if the wind is blowing. It’s a hard hole to find
anyway, as the green is hidden by the front bunkers.
Cattle and sheep graze in paddocks besides the
front nine holes, and then on the 16th, 17th and 18th
cattle eat the fescue grasses – which looks attractive
but can be a hazard. Although this is seaside golf at
is very best, it also demands great ball control and
cautious play along the rims of deep ravines. But
then it is one of the great golf courses in the world,
with course designer Tom Doak suggesting: “You
will never play golf somewhere like this again. If it
were any bigger or any more dramatic, it would
probably be cordoned off as a national park. It’s an
overwhelming experience to stand up on the cliffs,
140 metres above sea level, and look out across the
waves far below.
“Three times you’ll have to make the perilous
leap from the end of one ridge to the end of the
next. And at the 6th and 15th holes it’s possible to
pull your approach off the very end of the earth,
though it will take nearly ten seconds of hang time
for your ball to reach the ocean below.”
It’s not insignificant that the first name on the
Hole in One Club board in the clubhouse belongs to
Alex Robertson, the owners’ youngest son, who
potted his ball on the 13th hole during the course’s
Previous page: The course at Cape Kidnappers,
Hawke’s Bay. Opposite: A warm, cosy environment
and a spectacular setting await visitors to The Farm
at Cape Kidnappers.
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inaugural round back in 2003. Since then, a further
19 golfers have joined the club, scoring aces on
three other holes as well – the 3rd, 8th and 11th. On
one uncanny day, American husband and wife John
and Mary Ellen McCann had a pair of aces –
different holes.
Accommodation is in ten Hilltop Cottages, eight
Ridge Cottages, a plush four-bedroom Owner’s
Cottage and four spacious suites adjoining the
main central lodge that houses a communal dining
room, cozy library, impressive wine cellar, gym and
small business centre. The complex resembles a
cluster of farm buildings complete with windmill –
the round vat-like basement wine cellar extending
up through to the ground floor as a ‘snug’ or
intimate dining space – and then through to the
ceiling to appear as a towering silo.
Throughout are wonderful farm-related objects
as artwork in what Jay likes to think is “the largest
collection of antique farm equipment” gathered
from all over the world.
Colorado-based interior designer Linda Bedell
sourced an exquisite mix of country furniture,
tweed and leather-covered club chairs, plus a
barrage of rustic artifacts to create an ambience
that is contemporary chic and appealingly rural.
Our Ridge Cottage is near the swimming pool
complex and comprises an elongated entrance
foyer with kitchenette, spacious bedroom with
cane squatters’ chairs and desk, walk-in double
dressing room, large bathroom with two individual
vanity units, deep bath in front of double windows
to take in the view as you soak, separate roomy
shower with Evolu amenities – and a private deck in
front with twin sun lounges to take in the
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spectacular views. Old tractor-seats are displayed as
art; black and white photos depict working sheep
dogs, sheep being rounded up for shearing and
other scenes from the property.
It’s been raining for days in this fertile otherwise
flat fruit bowl of New Zealand, where trim
vineyards and laden orchards spread as far as the
eye can see. But it concerns us little, for being a
guest at one of New Zealand’s famous super lodges
is all about pampering and being part of the lodge
family, as it were, for the duration of one’s stay.
Breakfasts are served buffet style with hearty
options cooked to order. Dining venues include the
main dining room with open fire and fabulous views,
a more intimate country-style inside room or indeed
on the expansive loggia that stretches across the
front of the main building, affording uninterrupted
views through ceiling-to-floor glass windows.
Evenings start typically lodge-style with predinner drinks around the fire with canapés and a
chance to mingle with other guests. Dinner is either
à la carte or a dégustation menu, ably matched with
wines by sommelier Simon McCauley.
Group executive chef Dale Gartland sources only
the best produce from the Hawke’s Bay region and
says if he can’t get something locally, he doesn’t
use it. He’s planted a quarter-acre kitchen garden to
supply all the basic vegetables and herbs for the
restaurant and plans to serve a “menu from the
garden” perhaps one night a week.
At just 31, Jay Robertson (along with trusty
Samoyed Babushka) heads up the 55-strong team
at the farm who are friendly, thoughtful, intelligent
and obliging – delivering service so discreet things
happen as if by magic: gas fires lit, fresh bottles of
at a glance
water placed in our car, the Navman programmed
for our onward journey (by request), and our hire
car appearing from the car park ready to drive to
lunch at another of the Robertson’s projects – the
highly acclaimed Te Awa winery and restaurant in
the nearby Gimblett Gravels area, where wines are
being compared to the best from the famed
Bordeaux region of France. We take a 4WD-tour
with Adrian Davis and learn that the property has
been a farm for 200 years and was originally part of
5260 ha Clifton Station. He tells of the early
Polynesians (Maoris) who in the 1350s arrived into
Hawke’s Bay by following the dry riverbeds up into
this very property. “There are 38 archeological sites
on the farm,” he says. His knowledge of gannets is
encyclopedic and, as general maintenance man,
concierge, property guide and guest services, he’s a
handy man to know.
In the tranquil hilltop spa, manager Michele
Cregger acknowledges golfers’ needs and has
devised a menu of sports massages and treatments
especially for men, including manicure, pedicure
and facial. She incorporates fresh lavender and
kanuka grown on the property into products and
uses pure Rotorua mud in a geo-thermal scrub and
wrap “to heal and re-mineralise”.
Getting there: The Farm at Cape
Kidnappers is 450km southeast of Auckland
and 34km from Napier, which is serviced by
several flights daily to/from Auckland.
Accommodation: Owners Cottage (4
bedrooms) $NZ12,000/night Dec 15-Mar 30;
$NZ8000/night other times; suites
$NZ880-$1190/person/night Dec 15-Mar 30;
$NZ580-$850/person/night other times.
Two-night min stay Dec 15-Mar 30;
$NZ200/person surcharge Dec 23-Jan 5.
Rates include à la carte dinner, full
breakfast, pre-dinner drinks, complimentary
mini bar. Wine and liquor extra.
Green Fees: NZ residents $NZ180 low
season (May 1-Sep 30) $NZ225 high season
(Oct 1-Apr 30); international visitors $NZ300
low season, $NZ400 high season.
Things to do: Take a 4WD tour of the property
to learn local Maori history and see the
gannet colony up close; enjoy a spa treatment
or beautiful scenic walks; work off holiday
kilos in the gym or cycle around the property
on a mountain or quad bike; visit local
wineries and enjoy a vineyard lunch; tour
Napier – the Art Deco capital of the southern
hemisphere – and shop at the weekly farmers’
markets in Napier or Hastings.
Contact: www.capekidnappers.com
Auckland
Hamilton
Tasman Sea
Written by Tricia Welsh, Photography courtesy of
Cape Kidnappers. The writer was a guest of The
Farm at Cape Kidnappers.
Above: Cape Kidnappers has great golf holes and
equally appealing food prepared by executive chef
Dale Gartland.
NEW ZEALAND
Gisbourne
NORTH ISLAND
Napier
Hastings
Cape Kidnappers
Palmerston North
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KAURI CLIFFS
pebble beach
on steroids
ourse designer, the late David Harman,
must have thought long and hard
before deciding to make four of Kauri
Cliffs’ six cliff-hugging holes the last
but one on the acclaimed Bay of Islands layout.
He had to run the 18th back to the lodge – an
elegant southern American plantation-style
mansion, perched much higher and half a kilometre
back from the cliff top and commanding
breathtaking views over the ocean.
So 14,15,16 and 17 became testing, distracting
downhillers, any of which could be the signature
hole of the course. Collectively, they are its
autograph book.
You don’t just play golf on these holes. You have a
cameo destination experience. While thinking
about club selection, you wonder why you didn’t
come here before, drool over the view, and fight
doggedly not to let the sheer natural beauty
interfere with your score.
The 16th, in particular, a shortish 335-metre par4 from the back tees, is simply magnificent.
‘Temptation’ as it’s called may be Index 15, but the
sharp dogleg left hole with a second shot to an
infinity green – immediately beyond which seems
C
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to be the turquoise Pacific – is a nerve-trembler
for anyone.
It beautifully sets up the penultimate hole, Index
1, a jaw-dropping 432-metre par-4 that requires a
170-metre carry from the blues to get in play and,
for most, two more decent blows from whatever
tee you hit, especially into a southerly wind. And
then to 18, a huge raking steep uphill dogleg left
par-5 to the lodge, that requires a 220-metre drive
over a ravine from the back tee before completing
what is one of the world’s great golf experiences.
“Pebble Beach on steroids” is how US tour pro
Brandt Snedeker described Kauri Cliffs after
competing in last year’s Kiwi Challenge, played at
Kauri and Cape Kidnappers by himself, Adam
Scott, Anthony Kim and the eventual winner,
Hunter Mahan.
Well, yes. But without taking anything away from
the Monterey beauty, Kauri Cliffs is also Pebble Beach
without intrusions. No houses, no commercial
development apart from the lodge and
accompanying villas, no crowds, no cars and no noise.
“That’s something that helps make the course
truly special,” says pro Greg Bryan, now in his fourth
season and, like everyone who ventures there,
someone who is in awe of what has been achieved.
“It is just so grand, so expansive … a giant golf
amphitheatre,” says Greg in describing the course
that is laid out over more than 200 hectares, at
least twice the area of most courses.
That’s because Kauri Cliffs threads and snakes its
way around what was – and remains – a large
Northland farm. Moveable electric fences mean
cows can be used to keep down the rough in
certain places. Not that it seems to make much
difference, for straying off the cut means a lost ball
or at least an extra shot to get back on the
perfectly-groomed fairways.
“This is as good as Pebble Beach or Spyglass Hill
with better views,” says Greg Bryan. And that’s not
Kiwi bravado, but an American talking who came to
Kauri Cliffs from Chicago’s famed Medina course,
who says he hasn’t seen “anything like it” elsewhere
in Australia or New Zealand and compares the
conditioning with a USPGA tour venue.
Greg rates the par-5, 4th hole, called ‘Cambo’, a 510metre dogleg right as his favourite. A wide, expansive
fairway, albeit with bunkers at 200-250 metres from
the tees, left and right, invites a big drive but the
fairway then narrows with a small landing area for
the second shot and treachery around the green.
“One of the great par 5s in golf,” states the course
book – like everything else at Kauri, a beautifully
presented guide with colour photos, commentary
and multiple distance measurements for each hole.
Sure, most people come to Kauri Cliffs to play
golf. And summer is busy, with tee-times often
heavily booked, even at $NZ400 a round. But nongolfers and golfers’ partners are far from forgotten.
Food – sumptuous and beautifully presented – is
one attraction; a 5-star day spa area with
gymnasium and sauna is another. And there’s
horseriding, six different walks along the coast and
down to several stunning beaches, helicopter
flights if you fancy and perhaps the best attraction
of all: relaxing in the exquisite Virginia Fischerdecorated lodge (she also decorated Huka Lodge at
Lake Taupo, Wharekauhau Lodge near Wellington
and several others) and absorbing all before you.
Above: The Cavalli islands and Matauri Bay form an
alluring backdrop to Kauri Cliff’s oceanside holes,
while the southern American plantation-style lodge,
guest villas and food leave nothing to be desired.
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The 15th green,
spa facilities and
patio area of the
owner’s cottage.
Needless to say, some of the world’s most
prominent and interesting people come to Kauri
Cliffs. That’s partly because the owner, former
renowned New York hedge fund operator, Julian
Robertson, is so well connected (see sidebar). But
it’s also a testament to the sheer quality of the
place, the genuine welcoming and helpful attitude
of the staff, and impeccable attention to detail.
Having been raised in North Carolina, Kauri Cliffs’
“…threads and
snakes its way around
what was… a large
Northland farm…”
main lodge is a classic southern plantation-style
mansion, exquisitely decorated and furnished in
classic American style. The 16 villas, partially hidden
in a stand of tall native trees within an easy stroll of
the lodge, are similarly sumptuous. The pro shop is
like walking into a signature Ralph Lauren store. It’s
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a package that captivates everyone who goes there.
The golf course reflects the same attention to
quality and detail. Even the green-keeping
equipment is state of the art.
A beguiling first three holes – all par-4s, Index 16, 12
and 18 respectively – lead to the classic par-5 fourth
and then, in the next three holes, two challenging
uphill par-3s of 183 and 201 metres respectively from
the tiger tees (148m and 160m from the whites) that
mean certain death for anything short or right.
The 9th, a short par-4, nevertheless requires a
strong drive to carry a deep ravine. The first four
holes after the turn are the inland holes -– the 10th
and 11th being well protected (with marsh and
bunkers) par-4s in a gully, the 12th a par-3 requiring
a near perfect tee shot to stay in play, and the 13th
a glorious par-4 with a dogleg-left green perched
above a deadly drop left and short.
And then to the cliff top classics as you wend
your way homewards.
Relaxing back in the lodge with a drink in hand,
the desire to get back on the course again is
irresistible. “If only I’d ...” is commonly heard from
players commenting on their round.
Indeed, if only we had visited before.
Postscript: Kauri Cliffs’ designer, David Harman,
died of cancer last December, aged 51.
CRUISE ESCAPES AD
at a glance
THE OTHER TIGER
By the time Tiger Woods appeared on the scene in
the mid-1990s, Julian Robertson’s Tiger
Management Group was as much the king of hedge
funds as Tiger is now the world’s premier golfer.
Julian Robertson, A Tiger in the Land of Bulls and
Bears, as a 2004 biography of him is titled, started with
$US8 million of investments in 1980 and at his fund’s
peak had up to $US23 billion under management. But
a series of disastrous investments caused him to kill
off his financial tiger in 2000, coinciding with Tiger’s
first British Open victory. The same year Robertson
(pictured above with son Jay) opened Kauri Cliffs,
followed in 2006 by Cape Kidnappers.
Still living in New York, Robertson and his wife, Josie,
are regular visitors to both properties. Last October, he
entirely funded the Kiwi Golf Challenge featuring
Brandt Snedeker, Adam Scott, Anthony Kim and the
eventual winner, Hunter Mahan, which was played at
both courses and was covered by US TV network NBC.
Robertson is a noted philanthropist. Earlier this
year he donated part of his private art collection –
15 works by artists including Picasso, Cézanne,
Matisse, Gauguin and Mondrian valued at more
than $NZ120 million – to the Auckland Art Gallery.
Written by Paul Myers. Photography courtesy of
Kauri Cliffs. The writer was a guest of Kauri Cliffs.
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Getting there: Kauri Cliffs is 290km north
of Auckland and 20km from Kerikeri, which
is serviced by several flights daily to/from
Auckland.
Accommodation: Owners Cottage (2
bedrooms) $NZ8750/night Dec 15-Mar 30;
$NZ5500/night other times; suites $950$1190/person/night Dec 15-Mar 30; $680$850/person/night other times.
Two-night min stay Dec 15-Mar 30;
$NZ200/person surcharge Dec 23-Jan 5.
Rates include à la carte dinner, full
breakfast, pre-dinner drinks, complimentary
mini bar. Wine and liquor extra.
Green Fees: NZ residents $NZ180 low
season (May 1-Sep 30) $NZ225 high season
(Oct 1-Apr 30); international visitors $NZ300
low season, $NZ400 high season.
Contact: www.kauricliffs.com
Kaitaia
Kauri Cliffs
Russell
NEW ZEALAND
Whangarei
NORTH
ISLAND
Tasman Sea
Auckland