Te Arai Links (South and North)

Two links, one beach, no carts.

Te Arai Links lies on a long run of sand dunes on the east coast of Northland, about 75 minutes’ drive north of central Auckland. It is the public sibling of Tara Iti, the private club next door, and it has two courses by two of the most respected design teams in golf. Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s South Course opened in 2022; Tom Doak’s North Course followed in 2023. Both made GOLF Magazine’s world top 100 for 2025/26. The golf is walking only, on fescue from tee to green, with Little Barrier Island and the Hen and Chicken Islands offshore.

Te Arai Links (South and North) green fees and tee times.

Green-fee play can only be booked within 28 days of the date you want. The resort normally takes tee times through its online reservations site, but its golf page currently reports that online booking is down because of a network outage, so email reservations@tearai.com or call +64 9 883 4600. Caddies are booked the same way, in advance, and are confirmed on availability. Residents of New Zealand and Australia pay a lower rate and must show proof of residency at check-in at the golf shop. No handicap limit is published. Spikes of any kind, soft spikes included, are banned: bring spikeless shoes. If you stay on the property, ask reservations about golf at the time you book the room, since the 28-day limit is written for green-fee players.

The courses at Te Arai Links (South and North).

South Course (Coore & Crenshaw, 2022)

Par 72, from 5,075 to 6,843 yards over four sets of tees, laid across about 36 hectares of dune. This is the course with the most holes on the water and the three short par fours. It ranked 79th in GOLF Magazine’s 2025/26 world top 100.

North Course (Tom Doak, 2023)

Par 71, from 5,003 to 6,931 yards. Seven holes play near the ocean, and the rest wind through inland dunes with unusual green shapes, including the pā-side 5th and the bunker-carry 13th. It debuted at 98th in GOLF Magazine’s 2025/26 world top 100.

The round, in perspective.

The two courses were built to play differently. The South, par 72 and 6,843 yards from the championship tees, has the bigger share of the sea: the resort counts sixteen ocean-view holes, with the 7th, 8th and 9th and the closing stretch from 15 to 18 running beside the beach. The 3rd, 6th and 16th are shortish par fours that reward a well-placed drive. The North, par 71 and 6,931 yards, starts and finishes by the ocean but does most of its work inland among dunes and hollows. Its 5th green sits high on a ridge beside an old Māori pā; the 4th, 6th, 7th and 9th greens share one bowl in the dunes; and the long 13th has its green on the edge of a huge natural bunker, a hole the design notes liken to Pine Valley. Firm fescue means the ball runs, so plan for the bounce.

Know before you go.

Booking window

Within 28 days of play

Carts

None; walking only

Shoes

Spikeless only; soft spikes banned

Residency rate

Proof of AU/NZ residency at check-in

Reservations

reservations@tearai.com, +64 9 883 4600

Make the trip work.

At NZ$975 a round for overseas players, most visitors play each course once and stay at least one night. Note the aeration closures before you set dates: the South closes 26–30 April and 30 August to 3 September 2027, the North 10–14 May and 13–17 September 2027, and the courses take about ten days to recover. Beyond the courses there is a two-acre putting green called The Playground beside Ric’s restaurant, a driving range, a short-game area and a clubhouse at each course. Lessons with the resident professionals are booked through golfshop@tearai.com.

Fly into Auckland (AKL). The resort is just under 100 kilometres north of the city centre on State Highway 1 through Warkworth and the Dome Valley, then right on Wayby Valley Road to the coast, about 75 minutes from the CBD; allow extra from the airport, which is south of the city. From Whangārei it is about an hour via Mangawhai.

Where it is.

Somewhere to settle in.

Te Arai has its own lodging, all quoted in NZ dollars with breakfast included. Ocean View rooms and suites for two run from NZ$590 a night in winter to NZ$1,188 over Christmas and New Year 2026/27, with a two-night minimum from 23 December to 5 January. One- and two-bedroom Ocean Cottages, villas sleeping up to eight and a private home called Whaitere are aimed at groups, with two- or three-night minimums. Otherwise, Mangawhai, the nearest beach town to the north, has motels, holiday homes and cafés.

Make a trip of it.

Tara Iti, next door, is private and plays members and their guests only. Mangawhai Golf Club, a short drive north, takes visitors and gives you a cheaper, relaxed second round. Kauri Cliffs, on the clifftops above the Bay of Islands further north, makes a natural longer Northland trip. Off the course, Te Arai Regional Park has beach and coastal walks, and the Mangawhai Heads cliff walk is close by.

Find your season.

The New Zealand summer, December to February, brings the longest days and the most demand at the top rate. Shoulder months, October–November and March–May, are mild on this coast. Winter, July to September, is cooler and wetter but carries the lowest international fee, NZ$700, and runs firm on sand. Fairway work may happen in July, August and September.