Cape Kidnappers is one of the most dramatic golf courses on earth — a Tom Doak design (2004) laid across ridges and 'fingers' of land that run out toward cliffs standing roughly 140 metres above the South Pacific, at the southern end of Hawke's Bay on New Zealand's North Island. The golf sits within a luxury lodge estate (now Rosewood Cape Kidnappers), and it's the highest-ranked publicly accessible course in the country.
Here's how to plan it: the course and its cliff-edge holes, how visitors play it, when to go in a Southern-Hemisphere season, and how to reach this remote clifftop.
Where
Te Awanga, Hawke's Bay, North Island, New Zealand
Course
Cape Kidnappers (Tom Doak, 2004) — one 18-hole course
Lodge course — visitor tee times daily (handicap + advance booking)
Stay
Rosewood Cape Kidnappers lodge, or nearby Napier
The courses
Cape Kidnappers
Tom Doak · 2004 · 18 holes · Clifftop
Consistently ranked among the world's top courses (GOLF Top 100 in the World)
A ridge-and-valley landscape where, in Doak's words, the land tilts toward the sea as a series of ridges jutting out toward the cliffs. The back nine runs along fingers of land separated by deep gullies dropping to the ocean, and the signature par-5 15th — 'Pirate's Plank' — runs out along a narrowing spine to a green above the cliffs, with a pulled shot capable of sailing hundreds of feet to the sea. It's as spectacular as golf gets, and all 18 holes were renovated by Doak's team in 2022.
How to play Cape Kidnappers
It's a resort/lodge course with limited public access. Visitor tee times are taken daily, but advance booking is essential and a valid handicap is required — there's no walk-on play, and rounds are strictly limited. Priority goes to lodge guests, so staying on the estate makes early/late times and a second loop far easier. Book through Robertson Lodges or the pro shop; green fees are tiered by season and residency (international visitors pay the most) — keep it qualitative and confirm current rates.
When to go
Cape Kidnappers plays on Southern-Hemisphere seasons — its summer is the northern winter. Hawke's Bay is one of New Zealand's sunniest, driest regions, and the best window is roughly November to April. The March–April and October–November shoulders offer excellent weather, fewer crowds and vineyard-harvest colour; deep winter is playable but cooler and quieter.
Getting there
Fly into Hawke's Bay / Napier Airport (NPE) — a domestic airport served from Auckland and Wellington — then drive roughly 30–45 minutes toward Te Awanga. The estate is a 6,000-acre working sheep-and-cattle station, and the final approach is a long private farm road through the property (also a fenced wildlife sanctuary).
Where to stay & how to play it
On the estate, Rosewood Cape Kidnappers (the luxury lodge, formerly 'The Farm at Cape Kidnappers') is the natural base for flexible tee times; off-site, the art-deco town of Napier and the surrounding Hawke's Bay wine region are a lower-cost alternative. Pair the golf with the wineries, and slot it into a wider New Zealand trip alongside Kauri Cliffs and Tara Iti.
What to pack
The kit this trip demands
Cape Kidnappers is walkable-or-cart clifftop golf, sunny but wind-exposed on the ridges — pack for sun, glare and a coastal breeze:
Yes — it takes visitor tee times daily, but you must book in advance and hold a valid handicap; priority goes to lodge guests and daily rounds are limited, so there's no walk-on play.
What's the best time to play Cape Kidnappers?
Roughly November to April, when Hawke's Bay (one of New Zealand's sunniest, driest regions) is warmest and driest; the March–April and October–November shoulders offer great conditions with fewer crowds.
How do you get to Cape Kidnappers?
Fly into Hawke's Bay / Napier Airport (NPE) from Auckland or Wellington, then drive about 30–45 minutes toward Te Awanga; the estate is reached via a long private farm road through a 6,000-acre station.
Why is Cape Kidnappers famous?
For Tom Doak's 2004 design on dramatic clifftop 'fingers' of land about 140 metres above the ocean — especially the par-5 15th, 'Pirate's Plank' — and for ranking among the world's greatest courses.
Where do you stay at Cape Kidnappers?
On the estate at Rosewood Cape Kidnappers (the luxury lodge, formerly The Farm at Cape Kidnappers), or off-site in nearby Napier and the Hawke's Bay wine region.
