The long anticipated wait is over.
This is our story of 48 hours at the new golfing mecca in the North Island of New Zealand, Te Arai Links.
Tara Iti GC opened in 2015, followed by Te Arai Links (TAL) South in 2022 and North 2023. TAL is open to everyone, whilst Tara Iti is a private members only club. These clubs, as well as The Hills in Queenstown form part of Legacy Partners, a high end boutique real estate company. Check out their new website here.
Tara Iti was first brought to my attention around 6 years ago when Eric Anders Lang, the owner of Random Golf Club, published a YouTube Vlog of the course and its beautiful surroundings. I remember thinking how much I wanted to go. Since then I’ve been paying close attention to developments, watching ‘The Making of Te Arai Links’, listening to podcasts from the Co-Founder Jim Rhorstaff, and talking with friends who have played, some who are members. It was a place that seemed so far, yet I knew it was close and only a matter of time before I experienced it.
When you arrive onsite, it’s clear that the level of work that’s been done is staggering, and for now at least, the final piece of the jigsaw is a wellness and fitness centre situated by the suites. In addition to this, lots are sold and impressive homes built, these are a common site as you play the course. As you would imagine they are well considered and blend in well. These are the types of homes you look at and think, wow…I wonder what these people do. Another thought I had was that it must take them a very long time to build these spectacular homes in the middle of nowhere with only one road in and out.
Safe to say that this trip has been a long time coming. We were a 3 ball, and being hosted by a member of TAL. It started with a night in Auckland after flying across from Australia (a short 3 hourr flight), we had a wonderful dinner at Hello Beasty and strolled around the viaduct area before heading to bed.
As morning broke, we departed at 8:30am and drove directly to the course. We arrived on property around 9:45am and checked into one of the suites where we were staying that night. It was a pleasant drive that seemed to fly by. As we drove in, all the photos and videos became real, the trees, the sand, the ocean air. There was only one problem. The weather! After 3 months of sun and drought, the day we arrived was the start of a 4 day rain bomb. The first day wasn’t too bad and we got out and around the South course relatively unscathed. We enjoyed every step of the walk and I was soaking it in at every moment. The South course was designed by Coore and Crenshaw. The first three holes are played in the trees, then on 4, you walk up to the tee and see the ocean and the expanse of land – I pulled out my driver and launched a shot down the right side, then took a team selfie for good measure. What a course! Incredible. From the 5th hole, the course runs along the ocean and staying left is a general rule of thumb that will keep you in play. That was to be the first and last round of golf. Yes, a long way to go for 18 holes. But we had a blast.
After our round on the South we grabbed a couple of gourmet pizzas and polenta fries from Ric’s then had some down time before returning for dinner. We also snuck in a loop on the Playground, with a few beers/G&Ts. Dinner consisted of 2 grilled chicken burgers, a wagyu burger, hash brown fries and a bottle of red. Again, it was excellent. Impeccable service and a warm environment. After dinner we ventured down to The Bunker Bar (for members and their guests) for a nightcap and some tales from the day. The 5 minute walk back to our accommodation was chilly, wet and windy…not a good sign for the following day’s play on the North. After the best night’s sleep, I woke at around 5am, and opened the curtains to 6 bright lights, which were a sure sign the greenkeepers were out cutting fairways and greens. As I stepped out onto the balcony I immediately thought “hmmm, we might not play today”. That decision was made at around 10am, so that was that. The rest of the day was spent hitting balls on the range (I was the only one), chatting with folk around Ric’s, then we got the shuttle over to the North course where we had lunch (pulled pork tacos with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. It was divine).
We were then offered a private guided tour of the North Course in an enclosed cart which was a lot of fun, all be it torturous as we wanted to be out playing of course. One of the things that struck us about the North compared to the South was the scale of it…a much more challenging walk with many approach shots to high greens, so you can’t see the bottom of the hole. Once the tour had finished, we took the shuttle back to our car and started the drive back to Auckland where it was dinner time and airport hotel, ready for a 7am flight departure. Just like that, it was over.
It really is remarkable what humans can create. A prime piece of linksland, deep pockets, clarity of vision and a huge amount of work can create something special and even then it’s not guaranteed. Congratulations to everyone involved in creating this place. We cannot wait to go back.
Have you played here? What are your thoughts?
#thepuregolfer
