Rotorua Golf Club

Few golf courses anywhere on earth can claim a setting as genuinely otherworldly as Rotorua's Arikikapakapa layout. Geothermal forces have sculpted this remarkable terrain into something altogether apart from conventional golf — bubbling mud pools simmer beside the 9th green, sulphur vents rise unexpectedly from the earth, and a vast geothermal crater stands sentinel left of the dramatic 14th hole, its descent strictly forbidden. The pumice-rich subsoil provides excellent natural drainage, ensuring the course plays well in virtually all conditions. This is not merely golf; it is an encounter with the raw geological personality of New Zealand's volcanic heartland, and an experience that no golf itinerary through the North Island should be without.