Arrowtown Golf Club is a characterful members’ course set in a valley, surrounded by striking mountains just outside the historic town of Arrowtown. This is a working club, not a manicured showpiece, and you are playing where the locals play, not just alongside international visitors.

The course is full of variety and quirks, particularly on the back nine, which forms the original routing and is often referred to locally as “Narrowtown”. Fairways tighten, rocky outcrops come into play and elevation changes are frequent. There is plenty of challenge around the often small greens, but bunkers are not part of the defence, as there is not a single one on the course.

Arrowtown is engaging, unconventional and thoroughly enjoyable.

When Cape Kidnappers opened it went straight into the world’s top 100 and has never left, a testament to the quality of the course Tom Doak created. The images most people know show holes stretched across narrow fingers of land reaching into the Pacific. They are striking, but the course’s reputation rests on more than scenery alone.

Doak resists the temptation to rush to the cliffs. The opening holes head inland across broad, rolling ground, with early highlights such as the par-3 third and the blind par-5 fourth setting rhythm as chasms and gorges begin to feature. The tenth takes you to the coast, and the back nine moves in and out along the headlands. The long, bunkerless fifteenth is demanding in scale, while the tee shot at the sixteenth is one of the most memorable in world golf. Cape Kidnappers is a must-play on any New Zealand itinerary.

Jack’s Point is one of New Zealand’s most dramatic golf courses, set on a rugged, exposed site at the southern end of Lake Wakatipu beneath the Remarkables mountain range. The setting is raw and uncompromising, with rocky ground, native tussock and spectacular views shaping the experience.

The course climbs steadily over the opening holes as it works towards the water. It is a demanding start, and bogeys are nothing to be ashamed of when the wind is up. Reaching the lake brings a real reward, with more gettable holes and a stunning stretch played along the shoreline. The course then turns back inland as you head for home, playing some of the strongest holes on the property.

Throughout the round the greens are well protected by bunkers and natural contouring. Jack’s Point is a must-play when visiting the Queenstown area, rewarding good golf and offering countless moments where reaching for the camera feels unavoidable.

In a country full of spectacular golf settings, Kauri Cliffs may be the most dramatic of the lot, laid out on clifftop land in New Zealand’s Far North. The views are constant and breathtaking, with holes running high above the Pacific and others moving inland across rolling, open ground. It is very much a resort-style course, generous from the tee and designed to be enjoyed as much as admired.

Fairways are wide, conditions are consistently excellent and the routing allows golfers to take in the setting without feeling overwhelmed by difficulty. The par 3s show the course at its most dramatic, especially those played close to the ocean, while the closing stretch along the cliffs is unforgettable. Kauri Cliffs delivers memorable golf in an extraordinary landscape.

Kinloch is one of New Zealand’s most distinctive and demanding golf courses, set high above Lake Taupō on a broad, exposed plateau. Designed by Jack Nicklaus, it has a modern feel and plays like an inland links, with wide fairways, firm ground and dramatic contouring throughout. The setting is striking, with big skies, long views and a sense of scale that shapes the round.

The course asks serious questions from the tee and on approach, with deep bunkering, sharp run-offs and greens that demand full commitment. Kinloch is a demanding. memorable course and well worth adding to a New Zealand golf itinerary.

The Coronet Course at Millbrook is a distinctive 18-hole layout created by combining nine holes from the original Remarkables course with nine newer holes by Greg Turner and Scott Macpherson. The result is a round defined by contrast and progression, and one that feels far more varied than many resort courses.

The opening holes sit on lower, gentler ground and provide an inviting start, allowing players to settle into the round. Midway through, the course shifts character as the newer holes climb onto higher ground, bringing broader views, more pronounced elevation changes and a greater sense of scale. These holes add real interest, with stronger par 4s, varied lengths and more demanding approaches.

As the round comes together, the Coronet feels balanced and enjoyable, combining accessibility with moments of challenge. It is sociable, scenic golf that builds as you play, and a course that works extremely well as part of a Millbrook stay, particularly alongside the more exacting Remarkables layout.

Paraparaumu Beach is one of New Zealand’s few genuine links courses and a benchmark for traditional seaside golf in the Southern Hemisphere. Although the sea isn’t in view, it sits close by, and the course is set on wonderful links land north of Wellington. The landscape is open and often windswept, with firm turf and subtle contours shaping every decision. The course rewards control and imagination rather than power.

The course was designed by Alex Russell, a leading figure of Australian golf architecture and a disciple of Alister MacKenzie. That influence is clear in the strategic bunkering, the use of natural landforms and the emphasis on angles of approach. Fairways run hard and fast, the greens have subtle but demanding movement, and the challenge only deepens when conditions firm up. Paraparaumu Beach is a lovely links course that reveals more with every round.

The North Course at Te Arai Links provides a striking contrast to the South Course. Whereas the South largely hugs the coast, Tom Doak’s course is mainly set inland, over a huge, rolling site carved through sandy forest.

Fairways are generous and inviting from the tee, but this is a course where understanding angles and lines to the hole is key to a good round. The greens are the defining feature. They are bold and dramatic, rewarding imagination while asking tough questions when trying to get the ball close. Some will delight, others will frustrate, but few will be forgotten.

The North Course is a fascinating layout and an important part of what makes Te Arai such a compelling golf destination.

Te Arai South is a wonderful modern links course built on genuinely exceptional ground. It debuted directly into the World Top 100 and looks set to remain there for a long time.

Routed by Coore and Crenshaw, the course begins inland among large pines on rolling terrain before moving steadily toward the coast, with ocean views on 14 of the 18 holes. Fairways are wide and inviting, and the firm turf encourages a strong ground game while allowing for a wide range of approaches. The greens have plenty of movement but never feel overly penal.

The South Course is a real crowd pleaser and a fun place to play. Many holes linger in the memory, with the short par-3 seventeenth, measuring little more than 100 yards, providing a fitting highlight late in the round.

Titirangi is New Zealand’s only Alister MacKenzie course and a very good example of his work, lovingly restored in recent years. It provides an interesting contrast to the country’s many modern courses.

Set in rolling parkland on Auckland’s western edge, it is a strategic, thoughtful and demanding course. The bunkering is a standout feature, carefully placed and beautifully shaped.

The greens are full of subtle movement, while the set of par 3s is exceptional, varied in length and angle and memorable throughout the round.

Titirangi is one of the finest and most enduring tests of classic design in the Southern Hemisphere.

Wairakei is a parkland course set in a peaceful geothermal landscape just north of Taupō. Established, mature and beautifully maintained, it offers a very different experience from the area’s more modern layouts. The course sits within a nature preserve, with tall trees and native birdlife present throughout the round.

It is not a difficult course, but you can expect more trees and planting in play than you may be used to. It is an unusual place to play, and you may even see steam rising from the surrounding geothermal activity. Wairakei offers something genuinely different to experience when playing golf on the North Island.