Backpacking and golfing in New Zealand

Canadian golfer, Rod Hughes is passionate about golfing in New Zealand. His three-week holiday earlier this year was his second trip to this “Dream Destination.” With a backpack slung over his shoulder and a choice selection of golf clubs in a new, lighter-weight bag, Rod pitched his gear aboard his favourite Magic Bus to tour both North and South Islands. Determined to golf as many courses as possible, the account of his trip is not only entertaining but often just plain hilarious. A great Canadian hockey fan, Rod remembers arriving on the South Island just in time to watch his country’s top team win the gold medal final at the Olympics. “It was worth coming all this way to see that, believe me!” But anxious to take up the golfing challenge, he reports on how it all began on arrival at the Franz Josef Glacier.

“Although I was on tour with the Magic Bus, I thought I’d like to go back 20 km from Franz Josef and play the course at Whataroa.  I asked Stu, our bus driver, better known as ‘Disco,’ if I could hire a car in the village. He said ‘no.’ Then I asked if there was a bus service and that was another ‘no.’ Then I asked if it was legal to hitch-hike in New Zealand and he asked, ‘why?’ ‘To play a round of golf at Whataroa,’ I explained. “To my surprise, Disco offered to play with me. After parking the bus, he borrowed a car and clubs from a friend then we set out to play 9 holes.

At the Kotuku Gallery, we paid our green fees to a pretty lady with the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. I was pleasantly surprised how well I hit the ball, considering I hadn’t played since October.” (And seeing how impressed Rod was with those blue eyes)

IN QUEENSTOWN… “Next was Queenstown where I tried to play Arrowtown. On arrival of the 8:05 a.m. city bus, the driver reported a break down. A broken hose had caused a water leak. What to do? The next bus wasn’t until 11:05 but thankfully only ten minutes later a cab arrived, courtesy of the bus company, and we waiting passengers were driven to Frankton, by the Queenstown airport, where we connected to the Arrowtown bus. “After the drop off in town, I dragged my 27 lb. bag of golf clubs for about a half-hour, finally arriving at the Arrowtown Golf Club. The parking lot was full of cars — and full of ladies! It turned out that there was a two-day tournament on for (120) ladies only. Undaunted, I asked several if I could borrow a skirt — to no avail! “Club Manager, John Stevens kindly gave me a ride to town where I caught the next bus back to Frankton.

Close to the Queenstown airport, I must say it was neat playing this 9-hole course alongside Air New Zealand Airbuses as they landed and took off — some 300 metres away. “Playing Frankton during the morning rain, someone asked me why? ‘Because it wasn’t snowing,’ I replied.” Thoroughly exhausted from playing more than 27 holes, Rod returned to his digs to dream about more golf in the Queenstown area.

“The next day I went back to Frankton and kicked around for an hour or two before Jimmie, the New Head Pro, gave me a ride over to Kelvin Heights, one of Queenstown’s top courses — and what a beautiful course Kelvin Heights is. The scenery is out of this world! “At one stage I was on a point with Lake Wakatipu on three sides. As there was nobody behind me, I walked over to the beach and dipped my hands in the water. “The 10th hole was memorable — a short Par 3 that caused me so many problems. My first shot landed in rushes beside the water and the next one landed in the water. Finally I got it right when my 9 iron dropped the ball 12″ from the hole! “After the round at Kelvin Heights I bumped into a lady who was obviously at the Ladies’ tournament in Arrowtown the day before. I laughed as she smiled and asked, ‘Did you manage to find yourself a skirt?’ “As the water-taxi was going to take too long to return to Queenstown, the Pro ordered me a cab. The meter was at NZ $30 when we passed the bus stop at Frankton so I disembarked to catch a city bus for $5, probably saving me a further $20.”

AND SPEAKING OF CABS… “In Dunedin I caught a NZ $30 cab to Chisholm Park Golf Club. I’d never played a links course before and ‘donated’ 2 or 3 balls along the way. Reminding me so much of the Scottish courses we see on TV, it was an interesting experience, especially as at one point, the course played alongside the Pacific where surfers were enjoying the waves. “Late in the afternoon the Pro was closing shop. I finished on the 13th totally exhausted. I then dragged/walked for a half-hour and waited another half-hour for the city bus, costing only $2.50 to return to Dunedin.”

CHRISTCHURCH VISIT… “On my first day in Christchurch I played a round at the Russley Golf Club, renown for their over 1000 members and an active Junior section. The weather was sunny and warm but the greens were being aerated so golfers could only tee off from the shorter, red tees. This suited me fine, especially as courses fees were reduced by 50%. “It was quite windy but fun with my 3-wood ‘driver’ playing the wind to achieve an over 200-yard tee-shot landing in the middle of the fairway, despite aiming (say) 15 degrees to the right to counteract. I got a couple of pars. Otherwise I was hitting 6 on most of the Par 4 and 5 holes, losing most of my shots on Russley’s fast-putting surfaces. NB. RUSSLEY GOLF CLUB IS STILL A GREAT COURSE TO PLAY. Liz’s confirmation with Russley Manager Rod Gordon, June 2011.

ROD’S VISIT TO THE SOUTH ISLAND included Greymouth, Franz Josef, Queenstown, Dunedin, Lake Tekapo, Christchurch and Kaikoura. At this last stop on the South Island the most incredible hail storm he’d ever seen wiped out any chance to play.

NORTH ISLAND TOUR… “Since my South Island tour I’ve played Wellington, Auckland and Paihia. Relying on public transport, taxis and such put a bit of a crimp on my choice of golf courses. Wellington definitely highlighted that. “Wellington has a fantastic bus service, but you have to know what you are doing and where you are going to make use of it. The nearby train service had a ticket office with people to talk to but the bus depot didn’t have such a facility. “I had a printout off the internet that directed me to a golf course in Lower Hutt. Only trouble was that the printout didn’t give me a bus number to shoot for. It did indicate, however, that it involved a four-minute walk at my destination. As it was, the bus driver dropped me off, right outside the only golf club he knew was along his route. Anyway, the adage that you get what you pay for came to play at the Hutt Park Golf Centre. The price was right and the people that run the Golf Warehouse store, the driving range and the 9-hole golf course, were very pleasant.

“At NZ $10 for 9 hole or $15 for 18, I chose the latter. It was a nice sunny and warm day and I was ready to go. It was ‘downhill’ all the way after that, starting with the fact they didn’t offer trundlers as ‘they’ve all been stolen.’ What really made this course ‘memorable’ was the fact that my back and hips ached for several days after having carried my 27 lb. golf bag on my shoulder for 18 holes! “From Wellington I travelled again by Magic Bus and overnighted at Napier, Taupo and Mt. Maunganui before arriving at Auckland. “I ‘d previously played Chamberlain Park, a public course owned and operated by the City of Auckland. With the use of a trundler to pull my clubs, I joined up with a couple of fellers — Mark and Duncan who were very generous with their comments regarding my play. I probably hit 250 yards on one hole where I crested a ridge at 200 yards. With the ball disappearing out of sight and down a very steep hill, it ran a further 50 yards! “With luck running that high, I then hit a ball on another hole within two yards of a river bank. Mark and Duncan were ecstatic in their praise for perfect positioning — with only 100 yards to go to the hole. Unfortuately my 9-iron didn’t see it that way and due to a ‘misunderstanding,’ I then provided the laugh of the day by dumping the ball in the river. And they say golf is a mental thing. Duh! I can only hope that my partners’ respective jaws have finally stopped aching from laughing non-stop for so long.”

WRAPPING UP with a three-night stay in beautiful Bay of Islands area at Paihia, Rod enjoys his trip with remembrances of his previous visit to New Zealand. “As part of the Magic Bus tour, we stopped at a lookout with views over the Bay of Islands including the Waitangi Golf Club. Since my first visit to New Zealand two years ago, I often think of golfing at the Waitangi Golf Club. It is such a beautiful course where the waters of the Bay of Islands form a constant backdrop.

“In the Waitangi clubhouse I met up with another couple to play a threesome. Here I probably played my best golf ever. I got four pars and all others were just one or two shots off. As a visitor, I was charged a very reasonable NZ $50. Full membership for NZ affiliated members pay only NZ $550 for 12 months’ golfing on this remarkable course.

“If I stated on a Government application form that my pricipal reason for wishing to emigrate to New Zealand was to regularly play golf at Waitangi, then I guess it would not be received too seriously?

“Coming to the end of my holiday, I write from beautiful Paihia in the Bay of Islands. I played a total of eight courses and developed a special bond with my 3-wood during the trip where straight drives in the 200-yard range seemed to be the norm. I purposely left my driver behind as I’m only good for 200 on a really good day, and not always straight!

“In summary, carrying my golf bag around with me on planes, boats, trains, bags and buses is a real chore, but it was all worthwhile when I got them to a golf course in beautiful New Zealand.”

*****

As author of “Birdies, Bogeys and Kiwis: Golfing around New Zealand,” it was a pleasure to meet Rod Hughes through his purchase of my travel narrative that highlights over 100 of the wonderful courses in New Zealand.