The best of the North: Former US President Barack Obama's taste of Northland

Barack Obama has touched down in Northland, where he is playing a round of golf at the prestigious Kauri Cliffs.

His stay in Northland looks set to be nothing short of luxurious; the former President is expected to tee off at one of the region's best golf courses and it is rumoured he's booked in to a lavish hotel in the Bay of Islands tonight.

Kauri Cliffs is a top luxury lodge, with a golf course ranked among the world's top 50 golf courses. The hotel itself was voted to be among the best in the world.

Readers of US based travel magazine Travel + Leisure voted the lodge the best resort hotel in Australia and New Zealand for 2017.

A description of the par 72 championship course on Kauri Cliff's website said the golf course has 15 holes overlooking the Pacific.

Six of these are played alongside cliffs that "plunge to the sea" it said, while "beautiful inland holes" wind through marsh, forest and farmland.

The property was opened in 2001 by New York-based financier and philanthropist Julian H. Robertson.

President Barack Obama boards a helicopter at Mechanics Bay this morning. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The American businessman also owns a sister lodge The Farm at Cape Kidnappers and another luxury resort in Queenstown.

As well as being host to a top-notch golf course and spa, Kauri Cliffs can be booked out as a wedding venue or used as a family holiday spot.

The venue has been host to a series of internet hoaxes over the years, which typically revolved around American movie stars falling off the cliffs while filming in New Zealand.

Obama is expected to tee off at Kauri Cliffs golf course with former PM John Key and son Max today. Photo / Kauri Cliffs

In November 2006, the unlucky actor was Tom Hanks, and in 2008, Tom Cruise - both supposed to have fallen to their deaths on set.

Jeff Goldblum is the latest in the trail of fictional corpses - rumours popped up online in June 2009 speculating the actor had died while filming the movie Morning Glory.

If rumours are correct, Obama will be moving on to top-notch resort The Landing this evening.

Located in the Bay of Islands, The Landing is a 404ha property made up of six private beaches, a vineyard and four private residences situated across the land.

Accommodation started at $3500 for one night in either The Boathouse or Vineyard Villa while visitors staying in the Cooper Residence would have to stump up a whopping $13,000 per night.

Guests are offered an array of activities such as fishing, diving and hiking, or for those environmentally inclined the venue's website boasted "excellent bird-watching opportunities" including kiwi-spotting night walks.