HOLING OUT The Cape Kidnappers resort is perched high above Hawke’s Bay on New Zealand’s North Island. The drive from the entry gate to the clubhouse takes 20 minutes, and through something unusual in worldclass golf: a predator-proof fence. Two metres high and buried 60 centimetres into the ground, the fence marks the threshold between ordinary countryside and one of the most ambitious conservation-and-golf initiatives anywhere in the game. Inside the fence, alongside the resort and Tom Doak’s course, is the growing populations of some of New Zealand’s rarest species. Without the 10-kilometre barrier keeping out feral cats, stoats and ferrets, kiwi could not survive, nor could the takahē, of which only around 550 remain worldwide. “The takahē (pictured) are a charismatic, curious and laidback species, which is one of the reasons they are so susceptible to introduced mammalian predators,” says Rachel Ward, general manager of the Cape Sanctuary wildlife restoration project, which partners with the resort. “They’re not scared of much, which is trouble. It also makes them such a privilege to be around: they are very visible, and the rarest of the rare.” The golf course does more than coexist with the sanctuary; it actively supports it. Superintendent Brad Sim sees the fence as the course’s best neighbour. “The wildlife seems to love the golf course and we love the sightings… judging by the increasing sightings year on year, they seem to love being here too.” Doak’s routing, with its steep gullies, irrigated corridors and mature tree cover, creates ideal habitat for both flightless and flighted species. “That is the beautiful thing about the golf course being part of Cape Sanctuary: it really is a brilliant marriage of habitats where the needs of so many species are met,” says Ward. “The kiwis, for example, love the gullies between holes… as long as the area is predator-controlled, golf courses are generally a brilliant place for sanctuary species.” A similar initiative is now also in place a couple of hours away, at Wairakei Golf Course near Lake Taupo. The model shows how thoughtful architecture, landscape management and conservation can shape not only memorable golf, but resilient ecosystems – a reminder that great courses can nurture far more than scorecards. Photo: Miz Watanabe Birds and birdies A twenty-year partnership is helping to protect endangered native wildlife at one of the world’s top golf courses. 124 Photo: Jessica Payne
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