Set on a 6,000 acre sheep and cattle farm, Cape Kidnappers features a luxury lodge and world-class golf course overlooking the Pacific Ocean. While Hawke’s Bay is one of New Zealand’s premier wine regions, I only had one night to spend on the stunning Cape Kidnappers property, so I decided to forego wine tasting and maximize my time at the lodge instead. In addition to a golf course, spa, and pool, the resort offered miles of private hiking trails over rolling hills and out to dramatic seaside cliffs. My plan? See as much of the 6,000 acres as possible (without having to set foot on the golf course).

The drive from Taupo to Cape Kidnappers took about two hours, and despite the fact that I nearly ran out of gas, it was a lovely scenic route. Upon arrival at the lodge, I was given a tour, then shown to my room to settle in.

View of the rugged property and the Pacific Ocean from my private balcony
And a view of my balcony
The decor was definitely farmhouse chic
Loved the sliding barn doors to the walk-in closet

After getting settled in my room and freshening up, I headed to the dining room for a light lunch (all meals were included in the room rate, with the exception of alcohol).

I enjoyed watching this wild bunny as I ate lunch

Next, I was ready to conquer one of the hiking trails onsite. After consulting with the staff, I opted to try the Wildflower walk that wound through a grove of pine trees to a beautiful viewpoint over the ocean.

Aforementioned pine trees
First glimpse of the ocean; the Pacific was a much different color in Hawke’s Bay than it was on the west coast of the US
This viewpoint offered a hint of what was to come with the jagged cliffs. While the weather threatened rain, I thought the ominous clouds made the views all the more impressive
Me, having reached the final viewpoint

All in all, the trail was an easy out-and-back two mile route. It was the perfect introduction to the property and got me excited for a longer hike the following day. Until then, I was ready to relax.

I walked by the beautiful pool on my way back to the lodge. Sadly, it was not pool weather.
Post-hike, I treated myself to a local beer

It started pouring rain shortly after I returned from the hike, and I thanked the weather gods for the good timing. Then I headed out to enjoy cocktail hour and a delicious fireside dinner.

The next day, I woke up early to maximize my time hiking. For my second trekking experience on the property, I opted to combine two trails: the Hill Top Track that led up above the lodge, then down through the sheep farm to the golf course, then the walk to the Black Reef Gannet Colony.

Panoramic view from atop the Hill Top Track
As I walked toward the golf course, I passed these sheep, who seemed very interested in me. On all of the trails, I didn’t encounter any other humans, and it became clear that the farm animals were not used to seeing people on their land.
At one point I walked through this grove of trees. I’ll admit, I made a few wrong terms and made some detours since the private trail wasn’t marked as well as New Zealand’s public trails. Still, it was never difficult to retrace my steps and figure out the correct path.
I couldn’t decide what was more beautiful: the luminous sky or the gently sloping terrain of the farmland
Next, I approached these cows, who seemed rather agitated by my presence. They definitely didn’t see humans very often.
Viewpoint over the cape and the “tooth” (rock formation sticking out of the ocean on the far left)
Made it to the gannet colony!
The view of the coastline along the return was equally stunning in beauty

The property had given me a GPS device to alert them when I was finished with the hike, so they could pick me up from the main road (preventing me from having to walk all the way back to the lodge). However, the device didn’t seem to be working, so I continued along the main road until a guy pulled up next to me in a golf cart. “You still having fun?” he asked me in a charming Australian drawl. “Well, I was supposed to get picked up a while ago, but I don’t think anyone is coming,” I responded, showing him the GPS device. “Hop on in,” he said. “I’m headed toward the lodge anyway.”

On the short trip back to the lodge, I learned that this not-at-all-unattractive man was from the Sunshine Coast of Australia and managed the golf course at Cape Kidnappers. I told him about how I was headed to Australia with friends the following week, after a week exploring the South Island of New Zealand. “So you’re traveling alone?” he asked me bemusedly. “Yep! Thanks for the ride!” I waved to him as we pulled up to the lodge and I jumped out of the golf cart. I got the sense that they didn’t get a lot of solo female travelers at Cape Kidnappers, but had run out of time to explain my story. I also needed to shower before heading to the Hawkes Bay airport to catch my flight back to Auckland.

Do you know how some places just seem to have a magical sense about them? Cape Kidnappers was one of those places. The natural beauty, the warm hospitality, the luxe farmhouse aesthetic, the remote feeling of the property… they all coalesced to produce a very special yet ineffable aura. While I had only been able to spend ~24 hours on the property, it felt like much longer. Still, I was quite sad to have to leave – but hopefully one day I’ll be back!

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