The Great New Zealand Debate
Paraparumu Beach and Wairakei   

Plenty of room to play at Wairakei.

New Zealand is not an end destination for golfers. This is a sad but true statement. For a country blessed with so many natural wonders - miles of unspoiled coastline, clear blue lakes, snow-capped mountains, rolling valleys - New Zealand deserves better golf courses. The authors would nominate New Zealand as the country with the greatest potential for having truly great courses to be built over the next decade. The land is that good and there is plenty of it.

Until that day arrives, and it will, there are only two courses guaranteed to please every far traveling golfer - Paraparumu Beach GC and Wairakei International. A third course, Titirangi GC in Auckland, is a solid MacKenzie course but its slow start might leave several golfers unimpressed.

Both Paraparumu and Wairakei are on the North Island of New Zealand. Beyond that the courses could hardly be more different.

Paraparumu Beach is a links course that measures 6,600 yards from the tips but plays shorter when it is at its best (fast and firm). The greens are small and are often elusive targets in the wind (remember: you are a one hours drive from "Windy" Wellington). The course is less than 1/2 mile from the ocean. Alex Russell, fresh from his success at Royal Melbourne (East), was the designer in 1946. To his credit, the course is vastly different to the Melbourne course, as the property is vastly different - he did not try to force his "mark" on either piece of property.

The strength of Paraparumu Beach is its collection of par three holes (the 2^nd and 16^th are the equal of the world renowned 5^th) and its medium and long par fours. The weakness is its par fives - all three are reachable at around the same 500 yard mark and fall over the only dull ground on the course.

Otherwise, Paraparumu is a neat course that charms the golfer with a series of original and unique golf holes. Under the authors typical Holes to Note section, the 1^st, 2^nd, 4^th, 5^th, 8^th, 11^th, 13^th, 16^th, and 17^th would appear. That is nine holes, which would be the most of any course profiled in this manuscript. The 13^th hole is the most photographed hole in New Zealand. It is a massive par four of 440 yards played downhill over rolling terrain. So rolling in fact that on the same, calm day, the author hit a three wood into the green in the morning round and a nine iron into the green in the afternoon session. As the golfing gods would have it, one author birdied the hole after a three wood approach.

Wairakei, in distinct contrast, is set well inland in a valley in the middle of the North Island with mountains all around. The fairways themselves are generally broad and a level stance more often than not will greet the golfer. It features two par fives of great merit (the 3^rd and 14^th) and a strong collection of long par fours. Stout hitting is required and the golfer is blessed with a first rate environment in which to do it. Long irons or even a three wood are called for to hit the 2^nd, 6^th, 9^th, 10^th, 13^th, 14^th and 17^th holes. Watching the flight of the ball in the clear valley air against a backdrop including enormous fir tress is a great experience. Frankly, the small greens of Paraparumu would be completely out of place at Wairakei - they would seem puny and out of character with the immense scale of the property. As they are now, the holes fit the land and appear comfortable with their environment.

The 14^th hole, known as "The Rogue," can break many a golfer. It is a 620 yard par five that features an enormous tree in the middle of the fairway at the critical 450 yard mark. The 6^th tee is the most exhilarating spot in New Zealand golf - Paraparumu cannot compete with the sheer exhilaration of the spot.

However, the course is not "clever" and lacks the subtle intricacies of Paraparumu. It does not have the short par threes nor does it have first rate short par fours. In fact, several of the finesse holes such as the 12^th and 16^th holes are among the least appealing on the course.

Under the Holes to Note section, the 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, 6^th, 8^th, 13^th, 14^th, and 17^th holes would appear. This is a similarly high number of holes to Paraparumu Beach.

The knowledgeable golfer can clearly select which course belongs to which era of course design. Paraparumu Beach features the better architectural elements while Wairaki is unmatched for setting.

The fact that the course that had the big sprawling land was built in the 1970s is good; the fact that the course with the intricate, tumbling links land was built in the 1940s is equally good. The authors cannot help but wonder what the result would have been if the two architects had been given the opposite property?

In theory, given two quality architects, these new courses, though vastly different than how they appear today, should still have been courses of great merit. Frankly though, the authors are just as happy not to find out the answer.

At some stage, developers will attract the best modern day architects to New Zealand. And the architects will come in droves - the land is that good. Unfortunately, the present "name" local architects like Bob Charles only muddle up the stunning land they are given.

Regardless what the future holds, smart golfers will take advantage of both experiences on offer at Paraparumu Beach and Waireki.

© Copyright GCA 1999 - 2000. All rights reserved.