Ocean Restaurant, Te Arai Links. Photo / Ricky Robinson
Live with a golf fanatic? Sarah Pollok reveals the benefits of getting very involved in planning a golf getaway.
When I told my husband we should visit Te Arai during the weekend, he was elated and cautious. The latter made sense. My enthusiasm for golf is finite, while my weekend suggestions typically involve thrilling endeavours like sorting out the garage or deep cleaning the shower. Yet here I was, telling my paramour that what I really wanted us to do was have him spend the day playing one of the top 100 courses in the world.
Except that wasn’t what I was saying, not at all. See, I’ve been led to believe that golf getaways hold little appeal for those who don’t enjoy long walks under the brutal sun, hitting hole after endless hole before rounding out the day with a beer and a bag of chips.
What I now realise is that golf getaways don’t need to look like tailing your partner and their tiny white ball for hours or even being stranded at the dinky 19th Hole cafe. Instead, they can look like enjoying a strong flat white in a glass-fronted oceanside restaurant with friends or a good book. It can look like coastal trail walks, sauna sessions and a damn good deep-tissue massage.
So, between you and me, I didn’t suggest my sweet husband play the North Course at Te Arai just because I knew he’d adore the challenging Tom Doak-designed greens. It was because, after opening to guests and club members in December 2025, Te Arai’s spa opened to the public on May 1. And if anything sounded like the perfect day, it was spending a few hours at the spa.
Waking up on Sunday, the man was fizzing with the ebullience of a hundred Christmas mornings. “You are the best wife in the entire world” he yells from the bathroom as he threw on his best golf shirt and checked his hair in the mirror. “I’m so excited for you to play golf” I call back, my mind already plotting how I’ll spend the morning before my 11am treatment.
While the spa will be open to all visitors, we took the chance to stay the night in one of the stunning oceanview rooms which, like the cottages and villas, absolutely nail the “Scandinavian coastal” aesthetic. Following a quiet breakfast at Oceans Restaurant, I toss on workout gear and walk two minutes to the spa and gym complex, which has the same vertical timber cladding used across the property.
Not everyone is thrilled by a gym, but for those who are, the studio attached to the side of the spa is flooded with natural light from glass sliding doors facing the forest and boasts pristine Technogym equipment, dumbbells up to 30kg, a squat rack and Lululemon foam rollers. Only two other people pass through during my workout, while two women enjoy a private yoga class outside on the patio.
Suitably knackered, I fill up a free plastic VOSS waterbottle and exit the gym’s black and chrome space to the spa’s reception; a soothing cocoon of blonde timber, cream furniture and earthy textures.
I’m 45 minutes early and the timing is tactical, as I grab my linen robe, slippers and locker key, change into a swimsuit in the beautiful changing rooms, and head outside to the new Hydrotherapy Garden. A sort of wellness playground for adults, the patio has outdoor daybeds and loungers, two metal hot tubs, a large cold plunge pool and an 11-person sauna. Although only two other ladies are enjoying the 70C heat as I hop in for 15 minutes, getting as hot as possible before braving the cold plunge. The serene space has previously been exclusive to hotel guests, but visitors can now purchase a pass for $60, or use it for free two hours before a spa treatment.
After 10 minutes in the hot tub, reading a few chapters of my book, I rinse off and meet Barbara, one of the beauty therapists, for a treatment. There are plenty to choose from, from red light or cryotherapy to facials but I can’t go past a deep-tissue massage. One delicious hour later, I emerge, smelling like sandalwood and feeling like my nervous system is, for the first time, completely regulated. Not yet ready to engage with the outside world, I escape to the “Relaxation Room” where Barbara brings a mug of hibiscus tea and a chocolate bliss ball, the perfect post-treatment treat.
Outside, the late April sun is positively pouring down across the greens, so I decide to skip the free shuttle between golf courses and walk the paved road 30 minutes to the North Course. The air is sweet and quiet thanks to rows of towering pines that line the trail and buffer the ocean breeze, verdant greens poking through from either side.
At the North Clubhouse, I spot my husband sitting outside with two new friends, the father-and-son duo he played with. Grabbing another round, we let 30 minutes breeze by as we chat about Bryan’s recent move to Arrowtown and Oscar’s new job in Auckland. Eventually, hunger drags us apart and we beeline for the menu, ordering fresh fish tacos, a succulent beef burger and fresh strawberry iceberg salad. It’s vibrant and delicious and it’s no surprise given how insanely good dinner was the previous night.
Fronted by chef Zane Neustroski (ex Mr. Morris), Oceans Restaurant is big on three things: championing hyper-local produce, innovative, seasonal dishes and impeccable staff. Think sourdough with burnt butter drizzled with mānuka honey, dry-aged Leigh Kingfish crudo and tender Freedom Farm Pork with an exquisite roast pineapple sauce. As for dessert? A feijoa gingerbread crumble with a feijoa skin ice cream (don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it) that tasted like childhood. Things looked a little more casual as it accommodated diners who would have been at Ric’s, which was lost to a fire in April, but the team was in excellent spirits, and we found ourselves utterly charmed by Tim the German maitre d’ and his ”A team” of staff who quickly felt like friends.
And as for my husband and me? Catching up over lunch about our respective perfect days, we felt closer than if I had spent five hours in a golf cart, that is for certain.
Accommodation guests can access the gym 24/7 and visitors can purchase a pass for $60. A pass for the Hydrotherapy Garden is $60 or free for two hours before a Spa treatment.
Stay & Spa and Stay & Play packages will be available from May 1 to August 29, 2026. Visit tearai.com/stay/winter-packages for more information.
New Zealand Herald visited courtesy of Te Arai Links.