Waitangi Golf Club

Overview: Waitangi Golf Club occupies the Waitangi Peninsula near Paihia, with views across the Bay of Islands, Russell, the Waitangi and Opua waterways and the bush-covered interior. The 18-hole course plays to par 72, with tee lengths up to 6,009 metres. Undulating ground, native trees and changing sea and estuary views keep the round visually varied, while the par-five 11th and 14th provide the main scoring opportunities.

History: The Waitangi Reserve was donated by Lord and Lady Bledisloe in 1932 for historical, recreational and public purposes. Golf had already been played on a nine-hole course in the reserve, and after the war the local clubs worked toward a full championship layout. W. A. Kiely prepared the original plans, with government subsidy and member debentures helping fund the construction. The club’s current identity remains inseparable from the reserve’s national history.

Did You Know? Golf at Waitangi is played on land intended to preserve the story of the Treaty grounds and the surrounding peninsula. That makes the course unusual even before the views are considered: a round takes place inside a landscape that is both a golf venue and a nationally significant reserve.