Soccer: The All Whites' luxury World Cup estate

The All Whites will stay at the Serengeti Estate, which has its own golf course and a nearby wildlife reserve. Photo / Supplied

The All Whites have pulled off a coup even before the World Cup starts - by arranging some of the best accommodation in South Africa, courtesy of a South African millionaire who has taken them under his wing, writes Michael Brown.

After a hard day's training, the All Whites will be able to enjoy a sparkling water while watching the sun set over the 27-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course or sink into a generous bath that opens out on to the immaculate lawns.

They could also try a little horse-riding at the equestrian centre and check out lions and leopards among the 'Big Five' at the private game reserve.

The All Whites may not win the World Cup but they might well be semifinalists when it comes to the quality of their accommodation.

The luxury housing they will occupy for most of their time at the World Cup is at the Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate - on the outskirts of Johannesburg.

They will travel only the day before each game to Rustenburg, Nelspruit and Polokwane. Johannesburg's Oliver Tambo airport is just 10km away.

The estate offers five- and six-star accommodation in separate houses, a 27-hole Nicklaus golf course and 280 hectares of grass and wetlands.

It owns a private game reserve that features the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and black rhino) just 80 minutes' drive up the road. A special gym is being built just for the All Whites.

It was by complete chance that the New Zealand football team secured the venue. Given they were one of the last teams to qualify for the World Cup, they could well have been left with accommodation with inadequate facilities.

They can quite literally thank God for their good fortune.

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Last year All Whites manager Phil Warbrick headed to Hong Kong for Call to Wall, a meeting of like-minded businessmen who try to use Christianity to make positive social change.

South African millionaire Graham Power was there, too. He established the Global Day of Prayer in 2001 after being given an "instruction" by God to hire Newlands Stadium in Cape Town and challenge local Christians to come together for a day of prayer.

The day grew to encompass South Africa, southern Africa, Africa and the world. Last year, it was broadcast to 350 million people in 220 nations.

Power invited Warbrick to call when the All Whites travelled to South Africa for last year's Confederations Cup.

Warbrick went to the Serengeti estate which Power developed and owns a couple of times during the tournament but didn't think much more about it, given New Zealand still hadn't qualified.

The two met again in Cape Town a couple of hours before the World Cup draw. The affair was lavish, with numerous celebrities in attendance, as well as 32 teams eager to find out who and where they would be playing.

During cocktails with Fifa boss Sepp Blatter and South African President Jacob Zuma, Power's phone rang. It was Warbrick.

Power had said to call him if they needed anything. The New Zealand delegation wanted to borrow his plane.

"I got up there [to meet Warbrick] and within 30 minutes, I had my pilot on the phone asking him what his schedule looked like the following day," Power remembers.

"He was supposed to be flying one of my partners - there are three of us - so we quickly organised another plane for him. It was quite a rush."

It was critical the New Zealand delegation move fast. Once the draw is made, teams scramble to find the best accommodation and training facilities as well as secure warm-up games.

Fifa provide cash from their ample reserves for teams to inspect the facilities but few had the use of a private plane.

Warbrick, New Zealand Football chairman Frank van Hattum, high performance manager Alex Chiet and media manager Jamie Scott ventured to Rustenburg, Nelspruit and Polokwane - the three venues for their matches - as well as Johannesburg and Cape Town.

"I doubt there were many teams in the two days they had available who visited even half as much as you guys did," Power says.

"It was a rushed programme but it worked. I made the plane available at internal partner rates, which covered the fuel, pilot and landing fees. If it was a charter plane, it would have cost probably three times as much."

None of the accommodation measured up. It was all too far away, too small, too drab, even for the All Whites, or didn't have a gym. Warbrick knew of one place that might be suitable.

"I had never given much thought about using Serengeti as a base camp," Power says.

"Because it's so new, it wasn't on Fifa's list [of possible options]. But Phil was quite impressed ... and quite determined. They decided this is where they wanted to be and I was quite pleased about it.

"They have got, almost by default, one of the best venues in the country. The homes they will stay in sleep between four and six, have their own swimming pool, lounge and dining area.

"They are top class, as good as anything you would get around the world. It will be their home away from home. The golf course will be rated next year but it's likely to be among the top 10, maybe even top five, courses in the country."

The All Whites might not be allowed to play golf because of the risk of injury and the need to stay off their feet.

But there is little doubt they are, if not in the lap of luxury, then at least being given a good cuddle. They have found themselves in accommodation that even the top stars of world football would be happy with.

"It's not opulent but by New Zealand standards, it is very nice," Warbrick says. "The houses don't have gold taps or anything like that. They are like something you would get in Remuera for $3 million.

"There was serendipity in meeting Graham. He's a generous man and has given us a very good rate that allows us to stay there. He was a little embarrassed about what was being offered to us [elsewhere] that wasn't really up to standard."

Construction at Serengeti started about five years ago and the entire estate is being established as a gated community with hundreds of homes, schools, shops and recreation areas.

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Graham Power is one of South Africa's wealthiest individuals. It's difficult to ascertain just how moneyed he is but one source said, tongue-in-cheek, that he "owned half of Cape Town".

He's also influential, serving on a number of sports boards including the Western Province Rugby Union.

The 54-year-old is a self-made millionaire. When he established his own construction company in 1983, it had one employee, one vehicle and not much else.

Today the Power Group is seen as the largest private construction companies in the country.

They played a massive role in the infrastructure improvements for the World Cup, most notably roads, and Power has about 20 real estate developments like Serengeti on the go at any one time. They also build between 2000 and 10,000 cheap houses in poorer areas annually.

What makes him unique, on top of creating the Global Day of Prayer, is the fact he was also the founder of the Unashamedly Ethical campaign to fight corruption and poverty.

He's almost too good to be true and Power is adamant God has a "special plan" for the All Whites which will see them progress to the second round.

It's clearly easy to be benevolent when you have such wealth at your disposal but the All Whites could quite literally be in an uncomfortable position if Warbrick hadn't met Power.

"I like to think South Africans are hospitable," Power says. "The friendship with Phil was the key factor but I would like to think if it was similar circumstances with someone else from the world, I would do the same for them.

"It's not about any personal gain. I felt bad when the guys said they wanted to use Serengeti. But when I saw what was available, I realised their need.

"We could probably get 50-100 per cent more for those homes if we had made them available to people around the world. It's not about the money, it's about friendships and camaraderie."

For the All Whites, it's about credibility. But they won't have any excuses when it comes to their digs.