{"id":684978,"date":"2026-05-21T10:38:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T10:38:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/684978\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T10:38:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T10:38:20","slug":"luxury-travel-second-serve-of-spectacular-courses-and-travel-equipment-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/684978\/","title":{"rendered":"Luxury Travel: Second serve of spectacular – Courses and Travel – Equipment – News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part Two of the Ultra Luxe Golf Tour explores New Zealand\u2019s South, playing some of the world\u2019s most critically acclaimed golf courses, staying at five-star boutique hotels, taking helicopters to the tops of mountain ranges, and dining at some of the country\u2019s finest restaurants, led by some of the best chefs on the planet. Exploring this part of the world is always exciting; doing it in luxury is something else entirely.<\/p>\n

Luxury Adventures has long been responsible for crafting first-class itineraries for travellers wanting to experience pockets of the world in the best possible way. Now, they are making waves in the golf scene, and for good reason. Their Ultra-Luxe golf itinerary is becoming increasingly popular among travelling golfers; those setting their sights not only on elite golf experiences, but on enjoying them in a way like no other.<\/p>\n

The Queenstown and Central Otago chapter of our Ultra Luxe odyssey is nothing short of dreamy. We landed in Queenstown to sweeping vistas of mountains and lakes, before playing some of New Zealand\u2019s most spectacular golf, staying in castles of luxury, dining like emperors, and even hitting golf balls from the top of a snow-covered mountain range.<\/p>\n

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ROKI Collection. PHOTO: Supplied by Luxury Adventures.<\/p>\n

Over four action-packed days, we took on Millbrook Resort\u2019s two championship courses, battled Jack\u2019s Point\u2019s strategic demands, and tested ourselves at Queenstown Golf Club. Our lodgings were the indulgent R\u014cKI Collection \u2013 15 ultra-chic lakefront suites by designer Virginia Fisher \u2013 and Eichardt\u2019s Private Hotel, Queenstown\u2019s five-star historic boutique, freshly crowned a 2025 Michelin Key property. Both offered roaring fireplaces, second-to-none service, and restaurants brimming with local flavour.<\/p>\n

We delved into the eccentric R\u014cKI dishes from the hands of world-renowned chef Paul Froggatt, quietly sipping luxury wines in R\u014cKI\u2019s Essence. Combine that with another night fireside at Eichardt\u2019s \u2013 fine steaks paired with Pinot Noir \u2013 and it was quintessentially Kiwi.<\/p>\n

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Millbrook’s Remarkables layout is a championship test. PHOT: Supplied by Luxury Adventures.<\/p>\n

Then, there was the flying part.<\/p>\n

Over The Top Helicopters took us to 4,500ft for our \u201cAltitude Green\u201d \u2013 New Zealand\u2019s world-famous par-3 course. Playing a tiny strip of turf perched above Queenstown was a jaw-dropper. Along the way, this writer squeezed in spa dips, wine tastings, and more than a few laughs about how I might never look at a golf trip the same way again.<\/p>\n

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Fine dining is all part of the experience at Eichardt’s. PHOTO: Supplied.<\/p>\n

Millbrook Resort kicked off the Ultra Luxe. Flanking the outskirts of Arrowtown, Millbrook is a full alpine escape and current host of the New Zealand Open; you know you\u2019re in for a championship test. The Remarkables Course was the resort\u2019s original layout, routed by John Darby and the great Sir Bob Charles. Its backdrops are indescribably beautiful, weaving through rolling fairways bisected by creeks and accented by ancient pines.<\/p>\n

At tee-off, crisp mountain air fills the lungs, and the turf is as pure as you\u2019ll find. The greens are large and fast – generous targets, but often guarded by strategic bunkering. Positioning is key, with surfaces running true year-round.<\/p>\n

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Millbrook’s coronet course. PHOTO: Supplied by Luxury Adventures<\/p>\n

The finishing stretch on The Remarkables layout is fantastic: risk-reward par-4s followed by a famous par-3 finisher requiring precision to an island-style green protected by water. A fitting way to wrap up a superb round.<\/p>\n

By noon, the Millhouse restaurant is calling your name \u2013 a century-old stone building with a giant turning wheel by the stream. It is as scenic a lunch setting as you could imagine, with big windows looking out onto golfers tackling the par-3 18th.<\/p>\n

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Rolling terrain, mountain views. What isn’t to love about Millbrook? PHOTO: Supplied by Luxury Adventures.<\/p>\n

We then reloaded the carts for Millbrook\u2019s Coronet Course, a newer par 72 (6342m from the tips). Coronet shows off Millbrook\u2019s more rugged side. After two relatively gentle opening holes, the layout plunges and rises through wild schist canyons and wetlands. The course’s back nine highlights Greg Turner\u2019s design brilliance; you\u2019ll use almost every club in the bag.<\/p>\n

The standout for this writer was the downhill par-4 13th, where the bold can have a crack at the green, though bunkers and a delicate pitch await. A hole with more than one way to make four \u2013 a brilliant piece of design.<\/p>\n

RIGHT: A\u00a0historic lakefront masterpiece. PHOTO: Supplied.<\/p>\n

Millbrook\u2019s courses are consistently ranked among New Zealand\u2019s top 10, and playing them back-to-back was a privilege.<\/p>\n

After golf, we retired to Eichardt\u2019s Private Hotel.<\/p>\n

Eichardt\u2019s exudes an antique charm rooted in its 1860s origins, its history woven through polished timber and Persian rugs. There is no such thing as a \u201cstandard\u201d room here; each suite is unique. Ours featured a bay-window nook overlooking the lake, along with fireplaces and heated floors.<\/p>\n

The concierge swiftly dried our golf gear after late rain at Millbrook, and by evening we were gathered by the grand fireplace for a whisky toast.<\/p>\n

Dining at Eichardt\u2019s hit another high note. We began at Eichardt\u2019s Bar before moving to The Grille, where the menu showcased Southland scallops and high-country venison. In truth, every dish lived up to the promise of \u201cthe best of New Zealand local cuisine\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Over The Top Helicopters. PHOTO: Steve McKean.<\/p>\n

My personal favourite was the steak, though others raved about the venison and chestnut pur\u00e9e. Beyond the windows, Queenstown shimmered with lake lights – a perfect finale. Afterwards, we wandered to the terrace for one last whisky by the water.<\/p>\n

Arriving at Jack\u2019s Point the next day felt like stepping into another world, snowfall adding to the drama.<\/p>\n

Jack\u2019s Point is raw and striking. One side drops into Lake Wakatipu; the other stretches into golden fescue climbing toward snow-capped peaks. The clubhouse is an immaculate wood-and-stone lodge, but out on course, you feel wonderfully isolated.<\/p>\n

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Eichardt’s, pure class. PHOTO: Supplied.<\/p>\n

Designed by John Darby in 2008, the par-72 layout has been widely lauded \u2013 ranked No.2 in New Zealand by New Zealand Golf magazine in 2020 \u2013 and, depending on who you ask, it might just be the country\u2019s finest golfing experience.<\/p>\n


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PLUS…
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\n Touring New Zealand: The complete golfing package <\/p>\n

Spectacular is a word overused throughout this feature. Overused, but accurate. There isn\u2019t a term which better describes playing golf at some of New Zealand\u2019s finest \u2013 and globally ranked \u2013 layouts; what comes alongside the golf is even more of a representation of the adjective.<\/p>\n


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The standout on the front nine was the short par-4 6th: around 260m, plunging downhill off a cliff with stone walls and tussock lurking. The par-3 7th is another gem, played from an elevated tee to a green perched on the hillside, spectacular Lake Wakatipu glistening beyond.<\/p>\n

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Modern brilliance, ROKI Collection. PHOTO: Supplied by Luxury Adventures.<\/p>\n

By the 15th, you\u2019re on the plateau among sheep paddocks and wooden gates \u2013 a slice of Scotland beneath The Remarkables.<\/p>\n

After 18 holes, you feel like a conquering Olympian.<\/p>\n


\n \u00a9 Golf Australia. All rights reserved. \n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Part Two of the Ultra Luxe Golf Tour explores New Zealand\u2019s South, playing some of the world\u2019s most…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":684979,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[64,63,755,85],"class_list":["post-684978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/684978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=684978"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/684978\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/684979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=684978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=684978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=684978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}