Kauri Cliffs: 2026 Access and Booking Update
Kauri Cliffs is the clifftop opener of New Zealand's great golf double act, fifteen holes looking out over the Pacific from the bluffs of Northland. With the resort now operating as Rosewood Kauri Cliffs, here is how access, the lodge and the seasonal green fees work for visitors in 2026.
The news: the Rosewood era at Kauri Cliffs
The headline for 2026 is the lodge itself. Kauri Cliffs, long the flagship of the Robertson Lodges group, now trades as Rosewood Kauri Cliffs under the management of the Rosewood Hotels brand, part of the wider repositioning of the New Zealand lodges. The golf course is unchanged, but the stay around it now carries one of the most recognised names in luxury hospitality.
For golfers the practical effect is continuity with a sharper edge on service. Tee times still run by reservation, the course remains open to visitors as well as lodge guests, and the stay and play offer that bundles unlimited daily golf into a Rosewood stay is the way most international visitors play it.
The course itself
The course was designed by the American architect David Harman and opened in 2000 on farmland above Matauri Bay. It plays as a par 72 of around 7,119 yards, and its calling card is the run of fifteen holes that overlook the Pacific, with several teetering right on the cliff edge above the ocean.
Spread across 6,000 acres of working sheep and cattle country, it mixes clifftop drama with holes that dip through native forest and across pasture, and the conditioning is kept to a standard that has held its place among the world's most admired modern resort courses for two decades.
How to play it in 2026
Access is straightforward. Kauri Cliffs is open to visitors and to lodge guests, with tee times by reservation, and booking ahead is wise in the warmer high season. Green fees are strongly seasonal. For international visitors the indicative 18 hole rate runs to around 739 New Zealand dollars at the October to May peak, with Australian and New Zealand residents paying lower published rates, and the low season from June to August falling to around 370 dollars.
Lodge guests receive a discount on the green fee, and a stay and play package can fold unlimited daily golf into the room rate, which is how the economics tip in favour of staying on site. All of these figures are indicative for 2026 and set by the resort, so always confirm the current rate and availability directly before booking. The course sits about three and a half hours north of Auckland by road, or a short flight to Kerikeri.
Our take
Our take is that Kauri Cliffs is one of the great clifftop golf experiences anywhere, and pairing it with its sister course Cape Kidnappers on the other coast is the heart of any serious New Zealand golf trip. It is expensive and remote, but the views and the standard of the stay justify the billing for a bucket list visit.
If 2026 is your window, build the trip around a lodge stay so the green fees work in your favour, travel in the warmer months for the best of the coastal weather, and reserve early, because room and tee time availability at a lodge of this size is always limited.
Plan your Kauri Cliffs and New Zealand trip
From a Rosewood stay at Kauri Cliffs to a Cape Kidnappers round on the other coast, tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge builds and costs the trip, with no obligation.
Questions
Is Kauri Cliffs now a Rosewood resort?
Yes. The lodge at Kauri Cliffs now operates as Rosewood Kauri Cliffs under the Rosewood Hotels brand. The golf course is unchanged and remains open to both visitors and lodge guests by reservation.
How much does it cost to play Kauri Cliffs in 2026?
Green fees are seasonal. The indicative international visitor rate is around 739 New Zealand dollars at the October to May peak, falling to around 370 dollars in the June to August low season, with lodge guests receiving a discount. Rates are set by the resort, so always confirm directly before booking.
Can you play Kauri Cliffs without staying at the lodge?
Yes. The course is open to visitors as well as lodge guests, with tee times by reservation. A stay and play package that includes daily golf is the best value for most international visitors.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course, season and access details verified June 2026 from club, resort and golf travel sources; conditions and green fees change, so always confirm directly before booking. Last reviewed June 2026.