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ARIKIKAPAKAPA, ROTORUA GOLF CLUB
ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND

        To us, golf is, after all, a game and a pastime, neither so serious that it should take precedence over more important matters of human necessity. It’s not that we play any better on courses laid out on otherwise not-very-productive land that isn’t needed for or is unsuitable for housing or vital human resources. No, we have no interest in being the Jimmy Carters of golf, and we aspire neither to winning the Nobel Peace Prize nor the Skins Game. But we do take good pleasure in playing in a "unimproved" environment, in seeing and understanding what the course architects first saw, in confronting the randomness of the natural hazards, bumps, dips, trees, water, bunkers, and geysers.
        Geysers? Haven’t played Arikikapakapa yet? This unique course in the middle of the sulfur and brimstone thermal zone of Rotorua may not be altered from its natural state by law. Interestingly, with all its underground rumbling, geysers, and boiling mud bunkers, the course tends to reshape itself, turning fairways into hazards sometimes overnight.

Length: Blues:   6328 yards (5786m)
               Whites:  6104 yards (5581m)
               Reds:    5669 yards (5183m)
Par: Men:     70 (course rating: 68)
       Ladies:  71 (course rating 70)
Open & Playable Year Round
Greens Fees: NZ$60 (approx. US$30)
Club Rental: from NZ$25 (approx. US$12)
Electric Golf Carts: NZ$30 (approx. US$15)

THE PAR 3, 170-YARD (155-METER) 14TH AT ARIKIKAPAKAPA:
JANUARY CONDITIONS AT ARIKIKAPAKAPA ARE WARM AND DRY,
ALTHOUGH ITS CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND SETTING NORMALLY PROVIDES
ENOUGH RAINFALL TO RPEVENT BROWN FAIRWAYS. THE BALL WILL RUND,
BUT LIES CAN BE TIGHT. BE SURE TO BRING YOUR SUNSCREEN ALONG.
Photo copyright © HOME AT FIRST

        The Arikikapakapa course at the central North Island town of Rotorua is adjacent to the famed Whakarewarewa thermal area, the Yellowstone Park of New Zealand, a sulfur and brimstone playground of geysers and bubbling mud holes. By law, the Arikikapakapa course may not redevelop its land, itself undermined with thermal activity. There are holes incorporating dormant geysers and sulfur sinks, and pot bunkers which are inactive fumeroles. The fairways rise and sink with mounds and moguls like ripples in a counterpane, making what would be a flat course into an interesting test with few level lies.

Nearest HOME AT FIRST lodgings:
    In Rotorua, as close as 10 minutes north of the course.
    More information about HOME AT FIRST's NEW ZEALAND TRAVEL PROGRAM.

       If you would like to play Arikikapakapa as part of your New Zealand vacation, contact Home at First anytime.

Want to learn about other courses throughout New Zealand including some of the greatest tests
of golf in the world? See our NEW ZEALAND COURSE GUIDE for more information.