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 Lakes Resort Golf & Country Club, PauanuiThe Coromandel Peninsula, a mountainous spine that sticks out like the North Island little finger, is relatively unexplored by travellers from overseas who tend to spend their limited time in New Zealand in other, more publicized, regions.
Yet the Coromandel, with its history of gold mining and alternative lifestyles, it's quaint coastal towns and bays, some of the best white-sand beaches and off-shore fishing in the country, has in recent years becomes a traveller's delight. The Coromandel offers the best of both breathless adventures and relaxing escapes for everyone from budget travellers looking for a cool campground to those wanting nothing less than a comfortable lodge, say, with a pool and more everyday recreational amenities like golf courses and tennis courts.  The Coromandel has great character (and characters) starting in Thames, its "gateway town," that was once the hub of mining and logging that shaped the region's early economic activity. Today, however, the region is not so much a place for industry as it is personal exploration and the choices an eager visitor must make are not easy.For example, the Coromandel Forest Park features some of the best walking tracks through native bush anyone could hope to find, composed as they are of waterfalls and kauri dams and native trees (e.g. the Kauri) that still stand proudly today like the natural skyscrapers they are. Deep sea fishing, sea kayaking tours, swimming with dolphins, snorkelling and diving in some of the clearest and most beautiful coastal waters (including a marine reserve) or simply sun bathing on stunning white-sand beaches like the one at Hahei altogether make the Coromandel a truly special place to visit. The region's notoriety for alternative lifestyles has today produced its own distinct Arts & Crafts movement where guests, for example, can spend time browsing in a host of galleries dotted throughout the peninsula and in some place even get involved. There's a place in Whitianga for instance where travellers can take time out to learn about the ancient Maori art of bone carving and produce their own piece. For overseas and local guests alike the latest addition to the "must do" list while spending time here is a visit to the new Lakes Resort at Pauanui, only 30 minutes over the hills from Thames and on the Pacific coast. Some people turn up here simply to see all the new activity and inspect the new residential community popping up but most turn up to play New Zealand finest new golf course. Golf Course The Lakes golf course, designed by the Canadian firm Sid Puddicombe Associates, has the best back nine holes in New Zealand. Said differently, no golf course anywhere will have 18 perfect holes and most capture attention by having one or two or maybe three (e.g. the famed "Amen's Corner" at Augusta) spectacular holes that capture our imagination.At the Lakes, the 10th hole is a cute par 3 over a lake and the 11th is really an ordinary straight-forward par 4 that runs alongside natural wetlands that so characterised this entire 20-hectare layout. The 12th through the 17th holes here, however, are truly special for they combine wetlands, native bush (including the exotic "cabbage trees" rarely seen on a New Zealand golf course), nicely positioned white sand bunkers, and a layout that taken altogether is unique in New Zealand. Like the entire Lakes course, the back nine doesn't challenge players by being long so much as it does by demanding good golf shots. That is, straight, well-placed shots for the course doglegs nicely around native bush and natural streams that even though the course is part of a new residential development, still, the back nine feels remote. The greens at The Lakes are without question among the best in New Zealand. They are the first putting surfaces in New Zealand to be made from L93 Bent, an exceptional strong, consistent strain of grass developed at the University of Georgia in the U.S. The course opened in 2004 so it's still settling down and the final look of this Coromandel gem is still to come. But the stone bridges, waterfalls, native bush, and the unique boardwalk that links the 4th green with the 5th tee add up to a new golf links that's the perfect place to play when visitors to this special region of New Zealand are not, say, at the beach kicking back or at sea catching game fish. The magnificent Legends at Lakes Resort, a magnificent architecturally designed building featuring Legends Restaurant and Bar, The Gallery, Heron conference room, and Pro Shop opened in January 2006.
Lakes Resort offers a magnificent selection of superbly designed luxury two and three bedroom villa's which complement the surrounding natural wetlands, lakes and golf course. Each Villa features spacious open plan lounge and dining areas, with gas fires for luxury and warmth, DVD/TV and CD facilities. A fully equipped modern kitchen and private laundry facilities make the villas ideal for longer stays or for family and friends travelling together. |
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