This was published 7 years ago
Kauri Cliffs among New Zealand's best luxury lodges
The main lodge building at Kauri Cliffs in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, boasts ocean views and a championship golf course.
It is said that golf is a fine way to spoil a good walk. Gazing out across the links from the expansive verandah of the Lodge at Kauri Cliffs it appears it is also the perfect way to spoil a seaside drive, as electric buggies, carting well-heeled and well-attired Japanese, dart this way and that, each against the magnificent coastal backdrop of New Zealand's Bay of Islands.
Not that I have anything against golf. I know my eagles from my albatrosses. But here is one golf resort, a former 2500-hectare New Zealand sheep and cattle property, where in order to enjoy it a little birdie doesn't need to be an exponent to bunker down.
Nonetheless, the lodge's championship golf course, crafted from undulating paddocks from where livestock once grazed, is impressive. It is the dominant feature of this superb 22-room luxury lodge, one of New Zealand's most remote, a three-hour drive or a less than 45-minute flight north from Auckland.
A bedroom in one of the villas at Kauri Cliffs, a luxury lodge in New Zealand's Bay of Islands region. Photo: supplied
The land of the long white cloud has become the land of the long line of posh digs, an array of superbly-located, elaborately-appointed establishments unapologetically pitched at affluent international travellers. These days such lodges stretch from the bottom tip of the South Island all the way to here, near the top of the North Island.
Here the lush, subtropical Bay of Islands, part of the larger Northland region, encompass 144 islands between Cape Brett and the Purerua Peninsula and includes the small townships of Opua, Paihia, Russell and Kerikeri. Head a few hours further north and you'll be at the lonely point where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean converge.
If New Zealand is "100 per cent pure", as the seemingly inexhaustible tourism slogan goes, then the pristine Bay of Islands is surely at least 110 per cent unspoilt. It is one of New Zealand's most under-visited regions, not just by foreigners like me, but by Kiwis themselves, as I'm frequently reminded by locals during my visit.
The golf course at Kauri Cliffs, a luxury lodge in the Bay of Islands region, New Zealand.
Considering the Bay of Island's historical importance to New Zealand, I'm surprised I've left it this long to visit – and that more New Zealanders themselves don't make it up here, though the owners of Kauri Cliffs obviously recognised the region's potential.
Many of New Zealand's luxury lodges, including Kauri Cliffs, are owned by wealthy Americans who are not quite as preoccupied with profits as other hoteliers and owners with shallower pockets, even though the staff here swear that operational costs are as closely monitored here as at any other resort.
Whatever the case, somehow New Zealand has cast its spell on these tycoons who are more than happy to part with funds to invest in a grand Kiwi folly. The main beneficiary of this benevolence has been the New Zealand tourism industry itself, which has, in part, built its reputation around its six-star lodges – and in recent years watched as its Australian cousins have more or less copied its model.
The main dining room at Kauri Cliffs.
The owners of Kauri Cliffs, the New York-based Robertson family, which made billions from the hedge-funds market, have not stopped at just one property: it also owns The Farm at Cape Kidnappers at Hawke's Bay in the south of the North Island and Matakauri Lodge, just outside of Queenstown.
Some billionaires just come here to stay, not buy, with one well-heeled American, in pursuit of a world fishing record, booking a villa at Kauri Cliffs for three months. However, he hardly stayed in it, preferring to remain on his superyacht moored off the coast.
My own salubrious villa, reached along a path flanked by native totara rainforest neatly concealing a fully-fledged spa, sports magnificent views across the golf course to the Cavilli Islands and the Pacific Ocean. Each suite of up to 70 square metres boasts its own private porch, bedroom with sitting area and open fireplace, a walk-in-wardrobe and an ensuite.
One of the forested walkways.
Elsewhere at Kauri Cliffs, there is an Owner's Cottage – something that has become a feature of New Zealand lodges – a large, nearly 400 square metre two-bedroom house (that billionaire chasing the fishing record probably stayed there).
It would be easy to be seduced by the lodge – and by your villa – and not leave it during a typical three- or four-day visit. But one of the advantages of a visit to the Bay of Islands region is that the distances between the major attractions are relatively short. It means that one of the area's principal and most important attractions, the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, the place where Maori chiefs first signed their accord with the British Crown, is easily reached from the Kauri Cliffs.
But you would not want to be absent from the lodge for dinner. Nowadays fine food, of the standard of a big city restaurant, is an essential feature of New Zealand lodges with the dining room at Kauri Cliffs no exception. Male guests are expected to wear a sports-jacket at dinner, where "Pacific rim" cuisine is the order of the day, though the overall mood is relaxed.
Pink Beach at Kauri Cliffs.
Kauri Cliffs restaurant is probably the best in Northland, a part of New Zealand where the nation's own food revolution has yet to leave its mark. But what Northland lacks in terms of the Kiwi equivalent of hatted eateries, it compensates for in the quality of its local produce, which right down to the eggs served as breakfast, is superb.
Northland, you see, with its damp though mild climate, is an important food bowl for fruit, vegetables and seafood, meaning local produce is easily-sourced. And this being New Zealand you can be sure that during a typical three-night stay staples like beef, lamb and venison will feature on the menu.
On our last morning at Kauri Cliffs we head down, aboard one of the lodge's four-wheel drives that travels along the mostly paved roads between the links, to Pink Beach, one of three fine swimming beaches on the property. The sand, as advertised, actually does have a pinkish tinge to it and on the grass above there are wooden tables and seats for barbecues in the warmer months.
Maori war canoes on display at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. The canoes are still used on ceremonial occasions.Credit: Getty Images
After three days at the Lodge at Kauri Cliffs I've done well to lift not a single golf club (though I have hoisted many a knife, fork and spoon) and to avoid any activity more strenuous than strolling from my suite to and from breakfast and dinner. But that, in essence, is the beauty of the New Zealand lodge, and perhaps New Zealand, at once one of the world's most active and inactive holiday destinations, itself.
FIVE MORE THINGS TO DO IN THE BAY OF ISLANDS REGION
WAITANGI TREATY GROUNDS: New Zealand's most historic and sacred site, the Waitangi Treaty Grounds are the location for the signing of the nation's founding documents. This year a fine new museum detailing the history of Maori-European relations opened on the site. See waitangi.org.nz
The Duke of Marlborough Hotel, New Zealand's oldest pub.
VILLAGE OF RUSSELL: Once known as the "Hellhole of the Pacific", largely due to its reputation as a haven for escaped convicts from 19th century Australia, Russell these days is a quaint bayside village. Take a stroll along the grandly-named, beachside North and South Strands, which run the length of the village. See newzealand.com
LUNCH AT THE DUKE OF MARLBOROUGH: New Zealand's first licensed hotel, the Duke of Marlborough Hotel, is located right in Russell waterfront. Book a table at the restaurant out front and sample some of the region's fine seafood from its well-regarded menu and top-notch wine list. See theduke.co.nz
KERIKERI MISSION STATION: Established in 1819, the Kerikeri Mission Station was one of the first places where Maori invited European people to live among them. The scenic riverside spot features the country's oldest European building, Kemp House, a house built by Maori and missionary carpenters. See heritage.org.nz
OLD PACKHOUSE MARKETS: A fine way to meet the locals en masse, the Old Packhouse Markets at the township at Kerikeri also provide the opportunity to sample local delicacies, such as whitebait fritters, sold at a range of food stalls. The markets, centred around and inside rustic fruit packing sheds, are open each Saturday from 8am-1.30pm. See theoldpackhousemarket.co.nz
TRIP NOTES
MORE INFORMATION
GETTING THERE
Air New Zealand operates multiple daily flights between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and Auckland. From Auckland take a regional flight to Kerikeri; see airnewzealand.com.au If you're short of time, Novotel Auckland Airport is a good option for an overnight stay en route to the Bay of Islands; see accorhotels.com
STAYING THERE
The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs, and its sister property, The Farm at Cape Kidnappers, located at Hawke's Bay in the south of the North Island, are offering a "Lodge Life" package, which includes reduced rates as well as a $NZ400 ($370) credit for each night stayed (conditions apply). The lodge credit can be applied to a range of activities including golf, spa treatments, kiwi discovery walks and more.
Aside from the year-round inclusions for a stay at the lodges, Lodge Life guests also receive lunch in the dining room for each night stayed, plus an early check-in and late check-out, subject to availability. The offer is available until September 30, 2016. A stay at Kauri Cliffs costs $NZ1450, plus GST, per night based on a double occupancy and includes breakfast, pre-dinner drinks and canapes and dinner, complimentary non-alcoholic mini bar and use of lodge facilities. See kauricliffs.com; capekidnappers.com; matakaurilodge.com
Anthony Dennis travelled as a guest of the Lodge at Kauri Cliffs, Air New Zealand, Tourism New Zealand and Accor Hotels.
Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter
Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.