Houhora Golf Club is the most northerly golf course in the country. The golf course is on state highway 1 halfway between Kaitaia and Cape Reinga. I had an early start, to beat the traffic for the drive to the Cape, a once-in-a-lifetime place to visit. On the return from the most Northerly point in New Zealand, it was only right to pull over and complete the list of “most northerly things to do in New Zealand.”
Luckily, I was in the Jeep, the drive up to the clubrooms from the road is steep. The crew in the car were worrying about a hilly outing. There were a few cars around and many carts, fuelling the worry warts of the steep terrain ahead. The Wednesday haggle was finishing up and the clubrooms were open for business and full of lively types.
$15 will give you the pleasure of this country golf course. I paid my money and asked the barman if he could lend me a pencil. He produced a box of blunt pencils and old pens, and as he rifled through the collection, he settled on a white pen, which he handed to me. Lo and behold it was one of mine! It was a logoed pen with Kingsgate on it, one of the hotels in our chain. The marketing manager will be delighted that our name has covered all parts of the country, is this the most “Northerly Kingsgate pen in the land?” I’ll add it to the list.
The first tee at Houhora Golf Club is up a steep track, more hills; the worry warts were concerned. The main concern was that we hadn’t played in a long time, so golf fitness was sure to be questioned today. The top of the hill and view from the 1st tee was inspiring.
The course is in a rural setting and mainly flat once you get down into it, Phew. A collection of rusty old swings of the club from the elevated tee got us going just nicely. It was a warm day with a wee breeze to help lower the sweating.
The course is 5,622 metres long for 2 nines, a standard par 72. There were no hole names in sight today. There are good scoring opportunities on the first 3, including the short 1st, a nice 122 metre par 3, and a gettable par 5 3rd.
The fairways were in good condition as country golf goes, there was placing, but most of the time my ball sat up nicely in the fairway. There are a few strategic bunkers across the course which have an unmanicured rustic feel, and the greens were at the back end of their latest coring and were heavily sanded, but still firm and true. I can imagine they perform well year-round. The greens were not overly large which is very typical for a country nine. The course has many areas where little red stakes are visible. A few of these had water, the majority will have water when the rains come. These areas are intrusive and appear all over the course, avoiding them will help with your scoring for sure.
The 5th is a par 5 with a well-thought-out design before the green, to give you a reason not to attempt getting on in 2. A pretty little pond and 2 bunkers with a narrowing fairway give you all the clues you need to play sensible.
From the tee on the 5th, you can see the whole course in the valley in front of you. This is the farthest point of the course away from the clubrooms and you can look across the course and see where you came from. This is not a reflective ancestral statement …unless you want it to be.
Golf fitness was now being questioned as the wind dropped, and temperatures started to rise. I struggled through the next couple of long holes, hoping the clubrooms were going to be open to lubricate the dehydrating body. I promised to return the pen to the man up there so I’m sure he wouldn’t go home. The pen was not on brand as it started to register double bogeys on the card. I must have a word with the marketing manager about the effectiveness of these pens. Time for a rebrand, I think.
On the 7th I hit a perfect pull to land my ball on top of the neigbouring avocado orchard’s protective sun net. My second attempt landed next to a stanza of tall bamboo, it was old dry bamboo and very tall. It swayed in the light breeze, creaking and moaning at me as I hit a tired old pitching wedge toward the green. The bamboo reflected the need for more golf to push the needle of lifestyle balance back to the positive. I was creaking and moaning as I put the bag on my shoulders and walked away from the bamboo.
Around the course, there is a great collection of trees, not just Bamboo you’ll also find palm trees, pine trees, and some local Kauri.
The last was the final test of fitness, the longest par 4 on the course that needs a strong approach shot up a steep hill to a green below the clubrooms.
Scoring will be forgotten today but not the location and the experience of ticking off the “most Northerly golf course in the land.”
Back in the clubrooms, the barman got his pen back, he had wisely spent the time sharpening pencils. I ordered libations as we needed a lift as we had tired badly coming up the last. A combination of not enough golf time, early rising, the heat, and some steep inclines.
The restless night, the night before, in the worst accommodation I’ve ever experienced didn’t help. And I have slept in many rough old places. I won’t name and shame but soft beds, no thrills, spiders, overpriced, noisy with a crack in the bedroom door that you can see through. Plus, a meal that was incredible. If you had offered me that meal as my death row final dinner, I would have gone to the Pearly gates starving.
Anyway, I was not starved of a great golf course today, happy to know I was in the clubrooms drinking “the most Northerly beer I’ve ever had”.
The “most Northerly on course toilet in New Zealand” was in good order. There was a male and female toilet, which is unusual. And clean, unlike last night’s accommodation offering.
Take a drive one day up ninety-mile beach and visit Cape Reinga. These are iconic landmarks in this little country that you should see once. Houhora Golf Club should be part of this memorable trip if you know what is good for you.
