Links, luxury nestled in New Zealand landscape 2014

Links, luxury nestled in New Zealand landscape

Like most religions, golf is given to ritual and pilgrimages to places of special significance. Mention that you're going to Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers and a misty look comes into the eyes of those who've played these two remarkable courses perched above the Pacific Ocean at different ends of New Zealand's North Island.

North Island, New Zealand–Like most religions, golf is given to ritual and pilgrimages to places of special significance. Mention that you're going to Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers and a misty look comes into the eyes of those who've played these two remarkable courses perched above the Pacific Ocean at different ends of New Zealand's North Island.

Tell them you are going to stay at the Lodge at Kauri Cliffs or the Farm at Cape Kidnappers and even non-golfers who know the luxury circuit sigh longingly. Clearly these are no golf-geek hangouts where people wander about in plastic pants and tams.

Both are owned by New York hedge fund guru Julian Robertson.

"My Dad is a geography nut," says Jay Robertson, who manages The Farm at Cape Kidnappers. "He saw New Zealand as the most geographically diverse place in the world so we spent a year living here in the 1970s.

"Back when the U.S. dollar was strong against the New Zealand dollar, Dad bought a 6,000-acre sheep and cattle farm up in the Northland in 1995. He didn't know what to do with it until a golf designer said he could create a course without moving any dirt. So we got into the golfing business.

"Then my Mom said we should do a farm stay. Even though he didn't want to be Conrad Hilton, she prevailed and now the lodges are the better part of the business."

The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs looks rather like a South Hampton mansion, with gabled windows and wide verandas overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Last year it was voted as one of New Zealand's best resorts and one of the top 20 resorts in the world by readers of Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report.

Conceived by Virginia Fisher, New Zealand lodge designer extraordinaire, there are 22 spacious suites in 11 cottages, each with private porches and open fireplaces, nestled on the edge of a native forest overlooking the ocean and golf course.

"Kauri Cliffs lodge has great character. It feels like it could be your beach house," says David Hisco, an Australian banker who is a regular guest. "I've stayed in a lot of fancy hotels in the world and the service and accommodation is as good as anywhere, which is a pleasant surprise in the north of New Zealand."

David Harman designed the par 72 course to blend in with the dramatic landscape. It was voted last year in the top 100 courses in the world by Golf Magazine. Six holes are played alongside cliffs, while 15 holes have views of the ocean, dotted with picturesque islands.

Guests can also swim or fish at one of three private beaches, go kayaking, play tennis, hike and even try boar or possum hunting on the property, not to mention indulging in treatments at the new spa.

Robertson's other masterpiece, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers, opened in November last year to accompany the golf course, which is designed on a 2,428-hectare sheep and cattle property. Built to resemble a cluster of farm buildings with a red silo at its centre, the Farm is set back on a ridge overlooking the course.

Leather armchairs, cowhide rugs over wooden floors, antler chandeliers, large stone fireplaces, and bold local artwork grace the spacious living and dining areas. An attractive loggia with retractable doors opens onto the lawns in the summer months. The French-inspired cuisine, featuring local seafood, lamb and venison, is fresh and sophisticated. High-ceilinged suites in neutral tones, with black and white photos and curvilinear tractor seats against the walls, each have private decks that drink up the views.

"Serendipity played a huge role in the development of Cape Kidnappers," says Robertson."My father flew out from New York to Oregon to play at Pacific Dunes but it was booked out so they switched him to Bandon Dunes, which is designed by Tom Doak. Initially he was furious but afterwards he said it was the most fun round he'd ever played and he changed his golf designer for Cape Kidnappers to Tom Doak."

Golf Magazine ranks the course number 41 in the world and it is easy to see why. Cape Kidnappers straddles massive chalk cliffs and every hole has a view of Hawke's Bay. The land leans toward the sea as a series of ridges jutting toward the rim of the earth.

"Like a lot of links courses there is a real sense of the contours of the landscape. In the case of Cape Kidnappers, it is the lime green folds of a sheep farm," says George Burr, an American lawyer.

"What's distinctive is that you get to the edge of the course and peer over cliffs. It takes your breath away. On the 6th and 15th holes, you have to navigate across a ravine to reach the greens. Miss and your ball will plunge into the ocean 200 metres below."

Guests also enjoy the spa and pool and can visit the world's largest mainland-based gannet colony as well as a spectacular Maori pa (fortress site) right on the property. Te Awa and Craggy Range wineries in the Hawke's Bay region and the Art Deco town of Napier offer delights farther afield.

So do golfers have a preference between the two?

"These two courses are the best I've ever played," says John Estes, an American lawyer. "Nothing is rushed. There are no people crawling up behind you. The only pressure you feel is your own ability to play golf.''

"People who love their golf simply have to play them both," says Hisco. "It's a bit like your children. You can't choose between them."

Susan Gough Henly is a freelance writer based in Melbourne, Australia. Her visit was subsidized by The Farm at Cape Kidnappers.