Kids playing in the hot springs that run into Lake Taupo. 

Year End

At the time of this posting we have just sent out our new brochures for 2006. We are also offering the same package for bowlers. If you know any bowlers let them know about us. We are offering them bowling privileges at Kingscliff Bowls Club and Club banner. Same basic packages as for golfers.

Our group flight has been booked and we are holding seats on Singapore Airlines from Vancouver on Jan 30,2006. We will arrive in Brisbane on Feb 3 at 0930. Departure is 4 weeks later for Canada arriving home on March 4th. Please see our website at www.golfoz.homestead.com or email for more information.

I will continue to place information on this blog as we register more golfers and bowlers. We are planning for 60 golfers for both NZ and Australia. At the present time we have 22 golfers that have indicated they will be joining us for another wonderful, warm time this February. Beth and I will depart on Dec 26.

The ones that have booked and paid have selected our new offering for accommodations. It is the The Hill Apartment at Currumbin. The web site for this is www.hillapartments.com.au


Have a look I think you will like it. They have a great pool, two spas, phones, fans or ac, great views and a good BBQ area. This is only a $50 up grade for 4 people or $100 for 2 people. We have limited rooms so I think this will sell out quickly.

First tee at Taupo course 

Lake Taupo 

Report from NZ

The week in NZ went very quickly. We departed Coolangatta on Friday morning and had a good flight across the Coral Sea with Freedom Air. Picked up our car at the airport, a 1994 Mazda. We drove to Lake Taupo arriving after dark. Found our resort and settled in for the night. The next day was warm but a lot cooler than Australia, 23 degrees. We had a great view of the lake and the snow capped volcano at the south end. Since it was the weekend we could not do any business until Monday when the golf manager and real estate agents were back to work. We spent the weekend enjoying the area. We found it to be very much like the interior of BC. The golf course could have been in Vancouver as it had pines, spruce and ceder along the fairways.

Taupo is a very attractive town with everything you need. You can golf, fish, hike, swim, shop and explore the area. There is a lot of thermal activity in this location. We visited the Creaters of the Moon, the falls and canyon. There are two courses in town. The Taupo course which has two 18 hole courses with one having a slope of 120 and the other 108. These are the courses we are using for next year with unlimited golf for our clients. The course is the world famous Waiarki course, rated number 25 outside of USA. We have rates of $75 here which is discount from the $135 normal rate. There is one more course at the south end of the lake about 30 minutes away. The course looked fine and our fees will be $20.

Within two hours there is plenty to see and do. You can go to the wonderful town of Napier and explore the vineyards, golf its 4 courses or if you can afford it you can pay the $400 green fee on Kidnapper Cove. Rotatura is only 45 minutes away with all the native culture and hot springs and thermal activity. It also has 4 courses.

The sea is 1.5 hrs away at Mt Manganui. There are about 6 courses along the coast.

On Monday meet with the real estate lady and located a number of very nice homes for our golfers to stay at. They do not have the condos that the Gold Coast has. Each place here is a home that if fully furnished with everything you need. Some have great views while others are very close to town. I think the golfers will like this type of accommodation.

With the car, accommodation, golf and air all in place we are now offering NZ for one month or more. We will also offer a combination of both countries. The cost for unlimited golf in NZ with 4 sharing is $3299 and $3799 for two. The combination package is $5599 and up for two months of golf.

The Back Hills of Bryon

We have spent most of the last week exploring the hinterland west of Bryon Bay. This area is has a number of interesting towns, rolling green hills, Macadamia groves, beautiful estates and quaint pubs.

The hinterland here is different than that part west of the Gold Coast. Here you do not have the high mountains and the rain forests. This is more like the English country side.

Towns you should visit while in the Ocean Shores, Bryon Bay area are Billienudgel, Bangalow, Mullumbinby and Ninbin.

Bangalow is a lovely little shopping town with a great pub. It burned down in 1939 and was rebuilt in 1940. They have a very interesting Aboriginal Galley and Museum there with interesting shops and restaurants

Billienudgel also has a great little and old pub and is also the home of the Humble Pie Shop. You owe it to yourself to stop at this pie shop for lunch. It has a great dining area and their meat pies are rated number one in Australia.

Ninbin, what can I say, it is different. It is a town for the alternative lifestyle. There are lots of interesting characters, brightly painted buildings and evern a marijuana bar.

The latest golf course played is the one in Ballina. It is wonderfully manicured course in great condition with some very nice gardens. The bad part of the course is that 6 of 9 holes on the front nine are east and west so a little boring. The back nine is better and has two water holes. I give this a 3.5 score out of 5. The green fees are $25 but you get a free beer. If you want another place to have a refreshment you should try the Ballina RSL which is right on the Richmond River.

Catching up

Since last post we have golfed at Murwillmbah, Ocean Shores, Bryon Bay and Teven.

Ocean Shores is a very good course in the top 100 in Australia. Here you get golf, cart and lunch for $40 during the week. Course is in good condition and is a must play when here. It is about 25 min from Kingscliff. B&B rating is 4 star.

Bryon Bay is ok but my rating is only 2.5 stars. The course is under construction as they try to improve. Front nine is good but back nine is a little boring. Fee is $25. I would not make the trip just to play this course.

Murwillmbah is a 3.5 stars on the B&B rating form. Very nice location with some changes in elevation. If you play on Monday or Friday the fee is only $20. Worth the 30 min trip to play here.

Teven is only an executive course that we played because we could not get on Ballina because of the comp. Will be playing Ballina this week as it looked like a top notch course.

March one is the first day of autumn here. The weather has cooled off a few degrees with days high around 25 and nights now around 18. The few degrees make a difference.

We have 4 golfers left in Australia. One is in Brisbane for a week with his relatives, one is wandering around and is now in Sydney, then going to Melbourne and Adelaide. The other two are taking a 3 day trip to Cairns and later in the month going on a 10 day motor trip to Sydney.

Booking and requests are now starting to come in for next year.

Queensland Surf Championships. 

Excellent from go to woa.

The Queensland Surf Championships were held on this week. There was plenty of action with a number of events going on at the same time. Mid March is the National Championships. They will have 5000 competitors at that one. All golfers should try and see one of these truly Australians events.

Burliegh Heads walk is a very pleasant 45 min walk through the forest and along the ocean. If you are looking for something to do give it a go.

We played our final Queensland round of golf for this year at the Banora, where it all started. The course is in great shape.

Now that it is the first of March and the last weekend of the Australian summer has come and gone the weather is starting to change a bit. Yesterday we had 4 rain showers move through the area and the temperature dropped to 25 for the days high. Last night we shut off the fan for the first time. Today the high is only going to be 26.

Good news for next years golfers. We now have a very good practice facility in Kingscliff. Jeff at Chinderah has agreed to give us 2 for 1 on a bucket of balls next year. They have a good range with chipping and putting as well. This will help golfers tune up their skills and pass some time while waiting for their next round of golf. Most of our golfers tried the course and liked the fact that they could just walk on. The par is only 60 with 29 out and 31 in. They have 6 par 4s and no par fives.

With Tweed Coolangatta coming on as our Gold Coast unlimited course and Chinderah as our practice area our packages will be even better next year.

Today we move south to Bryon Bay. From there we will play the northern NSW courses of Ocean Shores, Byron, Ballina,Yamba and Muwillinmbah. This year a lot of the golfers liked Ocean Shores and Muwillinbah courses the best.

Once we have played these courses we will have 20 different courses from Noosa on the Sunshine Coast to Yamba on the Northern NSW coast. If we get a chance we will try for Bonville in Coffs Harbour as it is considered the number one course by many in Australia. The golf guide ranks it number 9 overall, 15th best design, 20 best conditions and number one for aesthetics. We have also played Horizons in Nelson Bay and many different courses on the central and south coasts of NSW.

While there are many fine courses on the eastern coast of Australia only the Gold and Sunshine Coasts offer a large amount of courses in a small area. There are courses for every budget and every type of golfer on the SE Queensland coast.

I will continue this blog until we get home on April 7th, still reporting on interesting courses, special tours or events as well as the weather.

Next year's golfers will be able to read this blog and find out more about the total experience that a waits them down under.

Remember if you book a cart you will get a pull cart. So when booking a power cart make sure you tell them you want a power cart.

Brisbane group ready to depart. 

Full moon on the Gold Coast. 

Last group arrives

We made our last pick up today. They were supposed to arrive at 4:15 but arrived 6:15 on a different airline. It seems Freedom Air cancelled the Thursday flights and did not contact me or the passengers. What a scare to end up at the airport with no flight. Fortunately they had the number of our car rental and gave them a call to tell us they would be late. They also asked the right people at the airport and were referred to Air New Zealand where they found their new ticket waiting for them.

Next year we will make sure everyone checks flight 72 hrs prior to departure.

Overall everything has gone well considering the number of people traveling. Other than one flight delay, one flight cancelled and the incident with the customs officer it was good. Everyone did end up on the Gold Coast on the correct day.

Next year we will include hospital information in their handout as well high lite the numbers to call for emergencies such as 000 as well as my mobile number.

We will offer Tweed Coolangatta as our Gold Coast unlimited course next year. This will give those golfers two course to play on with fast greens an a 4.5 star rating for only $150 more. This will keep all golfers together for socials and the ability to play with other Canadians. We will still offer the budget unlimited on the Sunshine coast but I think most golfers will upgrade to get the better course and the extra course.

Yesterday played our final round at Tweed with the new arrivals. They found the course to be good but also it could be tough. After we meet 12 our golfers that were also finishing their round so had a few cool ones with them. A number have expressed the desire to return next year.

Today we will take in a large surf carnival, walk Burleigh heads, and catch the show at the Banora club tonight.

Dan changed his ticket and will now depart two weeks later. He reported it to be very easy. He is going to take the rental car and explore the hinterland a little more and then spend the last week in Brisbane with his relatives.

The majority leave tomorrow- 26. The rest are staying longer or are off to NZ.

Sunrise over the Gold Coast. 

Colonial Course

As we near the end for most of the golfers they are all rushing about trying to get in as many rounds as possible before they head back to the land of ice and snow.

Don has reported that he has done around 15 round and still has 3 rounds booked. This maybe enough for him to win the honor for the most rounds played. He has played then on about 10 different course. To quote him" it is great to play all the different courses. That way we see a lot of the country and experience all types of courses. The golf book is a big improvement."

Getting back to the Coloninal Course. It may be the best groomed course that we have played here. It equals Twin Waters on the Sunshine Coast. The fee with cart is $25 with the Mega Membership or $42 otherwise. This is the rate for twile light time. Our time was right at 2:30 but got there early as you can go right out when you arrive. The round took 3.5 hrs and we had at least an hour and half of light left.

The course is flat, with water on 17 holes but the fairways are wide so you can avoid most water expect for the water that crosses the fairways. Plenty of sand, fast greens and not too long from the white tees. The Golf Guide ranks this in the top 100. Cart paths, half way house, and club house are excellent. Well worth playing.

Yesterday we went back to Emerald Lakes and they gave us carts as well for only $29. Excellent course designed by Graham Marsh. Another great bargain.

In Australia they call carts, buggies or power carts. One of the group reserved a cart and got a pull cart. It was a hilly course and they did not have any power carts left. So when booking reserve a power cart if you want one.

Went back to Tracies for the third time last night. Saw some of the group there. When you see Gaye as her about here opal. Adam, the owner of Tracies was very happy with the arrangement where he gives us $10 pasta nights during the week and free drink on the weekends. He indicated that he would love to do the same thing next year. Thanks a lot Adam for the good food and Nadine for the excellent service.

Schooners Bottle shop was also excellent to deal with and Grant thinks the Canadians drink as much as the Aussies. Grant provided prizes and gifts for the tournament. Thanks Grant.

We are off to the airport today to pick up our final two golfers for the season. They have been to NZ for the first month and are going to stay in Australia for the next 5.5 weeks.

Going to take Jackie for her last snorkel in the creek at Kingscliff. When the tie is coming in or at ebb it has some good snorkeling.