Wairakei Golf Course

The verdict

Wairakei is a landmark in New Zealand golf. It was built with government backing to make Taupo a more compelling holiday destination, and the design was entrusted to Commander John Harris, one of the most travelled English architects of his era, whose family had a hand in shaping Wentworth and Sunningdale. He worked alongside fellow Englishman Michael Wolveridge and the Australian great Peter Thomson, a five time Open champion, and together they produced the country's first course to win genuine international acclaim when it opened in 1970.

It sprawls over 450 acres of rolling, heavily forested countryside, with streams, waterfalls and well over a hundred bunkers threaded into the natural topography. In recent years a predator proof fence has turned the property into a working wildlife sanctuary, so native birdlife shares the round and the setting feels wilder and more alive than almost anywhere else in the game. For a traveling golfer it is a must play of any North Island trip.

The holes worth the trip

Harris set out to use the natural geography rather than impose on it, and the result is an immersive parkland round that moves through rolling hills and forest with the ground dictating much of the strategy. The bunkering is the signature, more than a hundred traps placed to pinch driving zones and guard greens, so every hole asks you to choose a line and commit to it.

Streams and the occasional waterfall add both beauty and bite, catching the loose shot and framing some of the most photographed holes in the country. The greens are well contoured and the forest gives each hole its own enclosed corridor, so the round has a real sense of journey, one quiet, tree lined chapter after another.

From the championship tees near 6,460 metres it is a stern, complete test; from the forward markers it is fair and hugely enjoyable. Add the birdsong of the sanctuary and the Central North Island scenery and Wairakei delivers a round that lingers long after the trip is over.

Where to stay nearby

Taupo, a few minutes south, is the natural base, a relaxed lakeside town with hotels, lodges and restaurants along the shore of the country's largest lake. It is a holiday town built for the visitor, with the geothermal wonders of the region and the golf all close at hand.

For something special, the area has several high end lodges that pair beautifully with a round at Wairakei. From a Taupo base you can fold Wairakei into a North Island circuit that links it with the capital region and Royal Wellington further south for a fuller New Zealand golf itinerary.

Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Taupo.