Cape Kidnappers
Golf at the edge of the world. Tom Doak ran Cape Kidnappers out along the spectacular finger ridges of a Hawke's Bay headland, fairways that seem to fall away into the Pacific hundreds of feet below, a clifftop course unlike anywhere else on earth.
Photo: Cape Kidnappers Golf Course via Google.
The verdict
Cape Kidnappers is one of the most dramatic settings in golf. Tom Doak took a sheep station on a headland at the southern end of Hawke's Bay, where the land splays out into a series of long, narrow ridges separated by deep ravines, and routed eighteen holes that play along and across them, fairways perched hundreds of feet above the South Pacific with nothing but air and ocean beyond the fairway edge. Completed in 2004, it announced New Zealand as a world golf destination and remains the round travellers cross the planet to play.
Beneath the scenery is a serious, intelligent course. At a par of 71 of around 7,100 yards, Doak used the natural ridges as both canvas and hazard, the wind off the ocean swinging the strategy hole to hole, the greens cunning and the exposure total. The 2024 twentieth anniversary brought a careful refresh of the course. It sits within the Robertson Lodges estate, home to the Rosewood Cape Kidnappers lodge, and pairs naturally with Kauri Cliffs in the far north for one of the great golf weeks in the southern hemisphere.
Cape Kidnappers at a glance
- Opened
- 2004
- Designer
- Tom Doak
- Type
- Clifftop
- Par
- 71
- Yardage
- Around 7,100 yds
- Green fee
- From about NZ$370 to NZ$739
Designer, year, par and yardage verified June 2026 from Robertson Lodges and leading course databases. Cape Kidnappers plays to a par of 71 of around 7,100 yards. Green fees are indicative, for international players around NZ$370 in the June to August low season, around NZ$517 in the shoulder months and around NZ$739 in the November to March high season in the 2024 to 2025 seasons, with lodge guests receiving a discount. Fees change by season and year, so always confirm directly before booking.
The holes worth the trip
The routing is the marvel. Doak sent the holes out to the very tips of the ridges and back, so that you play toward the ocean with the fairway running out ahead of you and the cliff edge falling away on both sides, a sensation of golfing into the sky. The closing reach toward the point, the long par 4s and the par 5 fifteenth, christened Pirate's Plank, run out along a finger of land with the Pacific on either hand, as exposed and exhilarating a stretch as exists in the game.
It is not scenery alone. The wind is the defining hazard, gusting in off the ocean and turning a stock yardage into a guess, and Doak's greens are full of subtle movement that punishes the careless approach. The ravines between the ridges swallow anything loose, so the course demands commitment, a player has to trust the line and the club and swing, because a tentative shot is the one that finds the trouble.
For the travelling golfer, Cape Kidnappers is a bucket list round and the anchor of a New Zealand golf trip. Pair it with Kauri Cliffs and Tara Iti in the north and the new links of the Te Arai coast, and a North Island week becomes one of the finest golf journeys anywhere.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Open to the public and to lodge guests, booked through Robertson Lodges or your trip planner; tee numbers are limited and advance booking is essential |
| Green fee | For international players around NZ$370 in low season, around NZ$517 in the shoulder and around NZ$739 in high season in 2024 to 2025; lodge guests receive a discount (indicative) |
| Booking | Reserve well ahead, especially for the November to March high season; staying at the Rosewood Cape Kidnappers lodge eases access and adds a discount |
| On the day | Caddies and carts are available and the walk is strenuous; the exposure and wind are serious, so pack layers and waterproofs whatever the forecast |
| Getting there | At Te Awanga on a headland south of Napier in Hawke's Bay, around 45 minutes from Napier and its regional airport up a long private farm road |
| Best months | November to April for the warmest, longest days; the shoulder and low seasons are cooler and quieter with lower fees and the wind ever present |
Access and indicative green fees verified June 2026 from Robertson Lodges; they change without notice, so always confirm directly before booking with the lodge or your trip planner. Check tee time availability.
Where to stay nearby
The natural base is the Rosewood Cape Kidnappers lodge, the luxury retreat set on the same 6,000 acre estate above the bay, where staying brings the easiest tee access and a green fee discount along with one of New Zealand's finest lodge experiences.
For a wider range of lodging, the city of Napier and the wine country of Hawke's Bay lie around 45 minutes away, with boutique hotels, vineyard stays and the art deco seafront of Napier itself.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts at Cape Kidnappers and around Napier and Hawke's Bay.
Build a New Zealand golf trip
Cape Kidnappers is the round that justifies the flight, and it pairs with Kauri Cliffs, Tara Iti and the Te Arai links for a North Island week without equal. We sort the lodge, the limited tee times and the internal travel, and price the trip to the head. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge handles the rest, with no obligation.
Cape Kidnappers questions
Who designed Cape Kidnappers?
Cape Kidnappers was designed by the American architect Tom Doak and opened in 2004. Doak routed the course along the dramatic finger ridges of a Hawke's Bay headland, with fairways running out hundreds of feet above the Pacific and deep ravines between them.
What is the par and length of Cape Kidnappers?
Cape Kidnappers plays to a par of 71 and measures around 7,100 yards. The ocean wind is the defining hazard, and the closing holes run out along an exposed finger of land toward the point, including the long par 5 fifteenth known as Pirate's Plank.
How much does it cost to play Cape Kidnappers?
Indicative green fees for international players are around NZ$370 in the June to August low season, around NZ$517 in the shoulder months and around NZ$739 in the November to March high season in the 2024 to 2025 seasons, with guests of the lodge receiving a discount. Rates change by season and year, so always confirm current prices and tee times directly before booking.
Can the public play Cape Kidnappers?
Yes. Cape Kidnappers is open to the public as well as to guests of the Rosewood Cape Kidnappers lodge, but tee numbers are limited and advance booking is essential, especially in the high season. Staying at the lodge eases access and brings a green fee discount.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Design, par and yardage verified June 2026; indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.