The Farm at Cape Kidnappers

Six thousand acres of sheep and cattle country run along the cliffs of Cape Kidnappers, the headland that closes the southern end of Hawke Bay on New Zealand's North Island, and in the middle of it, 20 minutes up a farm track from the gate, stands The Farm at Cape Kidnappers. The lodge looks out over the Pacific from the top of the cliffs, and its nearest neighbours are the gannets that nest on the headland below.

History

Julian Robertson, the founder of the American hedge fund Tiger Management, bought the station in the early 2000s, having already opened Kauri Cliffs lodge in Northland in 2001. The golf course came first, opening in 2004, and the lodge followed in 2007. Robertson added Matakauri Lodge near Queenstown and ran the three as Robertson Lodges until his death in 2022. In 2023 the family placed them under Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, which operates the property as Rosewood Cape Kidnappers. The farm is still worked: the station runs sheep and beef cattle, and guests can ride out with the stockmen to see it.

Architecture and design

The lodge was designed by Andrew Patterson of Patterson Associates in Auckland, who modelled it loosely on a farm settlement: a cluster of timber-boarded, pitched-roof buildings around courtyards, with a long barn-like main hall. Interiors were by Virginia Fisher, whose work also shaped Kauri Cliffs, in a mix of weathered timber, stone, wool and farm tools used as decoration. The main building's great room has a double-height ceiling and a deep terrace facing the ocean; a snooker room, library and wine cellar open off it.

Rooms and suites

There are 22 suites and a four-bedroom Owner's Cottage. The suites are in two categories: Ridge Suites, with views along the cliffs and across the bay towards Napier, and Hilltop Suites, slightly larger and set higher on the slope. Each has a sitting area with a fireplace, a bath and a terrace. The Owner's Cottage has its own living room, kitchen, pool and staff and takes families or groups of up to eight.

Dining

Dinner is served in the main dining room or on the terrace from a menu built on Hawke's Bay produce, with lamb and beef from the farm and wine from the region, which is New Zealand's oldest wine district. Lunch can be taken at the golf clubhouse. Breakfast is cooked to order. The cellar concentrates on Hawke's Bay and Central Otago.

Wellness

The spa has treatment rooms, a sauna and a steam room; there is a heated infinity pool on the terrace, a gym and tennis. Guided walks, mountain bikes and clay shooting are run from the lodge, and the farm tour by four-wheel drive is the standard afternoon outing.

Weddings and events

The Farm takes weddings, usually with exclusive use of the lodge for the couple's party, with ceremonies on the lawn above the cliffs and dinner in the dining room or a marquee. It is also used for board retreats and small conferences, for which the lodge has a meeting room and the whole property can be booked privately. The 22 suites set the upper limit for guests staying on site.

Location

The lodge is about 30 minutes by road from Napier and 40 from Hastings, on the Te Awanga side of the cape; Hawke's Bay Airport at Napier has direct flights from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The gannet colony at the tip of the cape, reached across the farm, is the largest mainland colony of Australasian gannets in the world and is occupied between September and April. The Tom Doak course, laid out along finger-like ridges that end in drops of more than 100 metres to the sea, is regularly ranked among the best in the world and is open to lodge guests and visitors. As a luxury hotel in Hawke's Bay with its own cliff edge, it has no equivalent in the region.