Day 01 - Auckland – Kerikeri – Karikari Peninsula Day 02 - Karikari Peninsula – Matauri Bay Day 03 - Matauri Bay – Kerikeri – Auckland Day 04 - Auckland
Auckland – Kerikeri – Karikari Peninsula
Day 01
“Kia Ora” and Welcome to New Zealand!
This morning you will be picked up from your hotel by luxury coach and transferred to Auckland Domestic Airport, to catch your Air New Zealand flight up north to Kerikeri. On arrival at Kerikeri Airport you will be transferred to Carrington Resort on the Karikari Peninsula.
Carrington Golf Course is not heavily bunkered, but you will still have plenty of opportunity to test your ability out of the sand. Several holes have superb panoramic views and while the course is close to the sea, it could not be described as either links or parkland in style. The new hole routing means that if the golf has not been scintillating on the front nine, you can turn left by the tennis courts and zap up to the winery for a tasting session before moving on to the back nine.
After your game, enjoy a 2 course luncheon in the winery. This afternoon, try your hand at one of the many optional activities on offer at Carrington Resort: Skeet & Trap Shooting Scuba Diving Fishing Horseback Riding.
This evening you will enjoy a 3 course set menu style dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Accommodation: Carrington Resort
Karikari Peninsula – Matauri Bay
Day 02
Upon waking you have the choice of a full continental or cooked breakfast at the hotel restaurant. This morning you will board your luxury tour coach and travel south down Northland’s east coast to Matauri Bay. On arrival in Matauri Bay you will be taken directly to Kauri Cliffs. Here you will enjoy a light luncheon, followed by 18 holes on this par 72 championship course.
Kauri Cliffs Golf Course, designed by David Harman, of Golf Course Consultants in Orlando, Florida, is an eye-popping 6510metre par 72 that overlooks the ocean. Kauri Cliffs was named 49th best golf course in the world by Golf magazine and awarded Best New International Golf Course in 2001 by Golf Digest. The inland holes wind through marsh, forest and farmland, and 15 holes have sea views. Six holes are played along the clifftop that plunges into the sea and in that way are unmatched by any course anywhere.
This evening you will enjoy a 3 course set menu dinner in the lodge restaurant.
Accommodation: Kauri Cliffs
Matauri Bay – Kerikeri – Auckland
Day 03
Upon waking you have the choice of a full continental or cooked breakfast at the hotel restaurant. This morning you will be transferred south to Kerikeri airport, for your flight to Auckland. You will be transferred by luxury coach from Auckland Airport north to Gulf Harbour Country Club. Here you will enjoy lunch, followed by 18 holes on this par 72 championship course.
Gulf Harbour is the only golf course in New Zealand designed by the esteemed American designer Robert Trent Jones Jr. The course was the site of the 1998 World Cup of Golf, it hosted the 2005 and 2006 NZ Open's and is the home course of Michael Campbell, winner of the 2005 US Open. Gulf Harbour is a 6,400 metre, par 72 golf course located 40 minutes north of Auckland City on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. It meanders through native grasses and vegetation and has a natural look and feel from start to finish. Four sets of tees assure playability for every calibre of golfer, from beginners to professionals. Like all great courses, Gulf Harbour tantalises players with a variety of exciting holes. Several feature risk and reward opportunities, and none are tricked-up or artificial.
You will then reboard your luxury coach and return to Auckland On arrival into Auckland, you will taken directly to The Westin Hotel for check in. In the early evening you will be transferred from the hotel to a well known inner city restaurant the O'Connell St Bistro. Here you will enjoy a 3 course set menu style dinner. The Driver Guide will transfer you in your luxury coach to the Westin Hotel at the end of the evening. O’Connell St Bistro is located on the corner of Shortland and O’Connell Streets in central Auckland.
O’Connell Street Bistro is a small intimate dining room of twelve tables, created in the theme of a modern European back street bistro, with a cosy and well-stocked bar. In its nine years of operation, it has been recommended by many publications and won the NZ Beef & Lamb Hallmark of Excellence Award many times. The restaurant has also been awarded an Award of Excellence by the prestigious New York wine magazine, Wine Spectator, for the last six years running, and joins only seven other restaurants in New Zealand to be recognised by this award. O’Connell Street Bistro is currently the only restaurant in Auckland city with this award. Most recently, the restaurant was awarded Best Wine List in the 2006 Metro Corbans Restaurant of the Year awards.
Accommodation: The Westin Hotel – Harbour View rooms
Auckland
Day 04
Full continental breakfast will be served in the hotel restaurant this morning. You will be transferred from your hotel to Auckland International Airport, by private transfer.