Gisborne
Bottling up a clutch of quality beers since '89, including its flagship Gisborne Gold lager, Gisborne’s pioneering craft brewery has a fab tasting room…
Must-see nightlife in New Zealand
Queenstown
Ignore the uninspiring location and settle in for a journey around NZ wine. Load up cash on a smart card and then help yourself to tasting pours or…
Napier
The 4th Door offers an alternative to Ahuriri's waterfront bars – a classy, moody little place, perfect for a predinner drink or a nightcap. Occasional…
North Auckland
Tucked down a quiet laneway, Tahi features nine taps of NZ craft beer. It's a friendly spot with a rustic and sunny deck. Ask if any beers from award…
Central Otago
Around 10km from Ranfurly, this friendly country pub right on the Rail Trail is a great spot to quench your post-ride thirst. It also offers good pub…
Dunedin
One of Dunedin’s seriously serious coffee bars, Strictly Coffee is a stylish, retro option hidden down grungy Bath St. Different rooms provide varying…
Parnell & Newmarket
Push open the door decorated with a chunky brass pineapple to discover this elegant bar with leather furniture and a gentlemen's club ambience. Savvy…
Dunedin
Make the short trek from town to this cosy bar for its selection of Kiwi craft beers and tasty nibbles, and the cute indoor/outdoor beer garden. Despite…
Auckland
With its spacious and sunny beer garden, Pocket might have to start considering a new name. Colourful street art and a special area for chalk drawing…
Christchurch
This cosy spot amid the heritage Spanish Mission facades of New Regent St is a fine option any time of the evening. One of the city's best selections of…
Ponsonby & Karangahape Rd
Recently relocated to the after-dark scene of Karangahape Rd, a louche old-world Shanghai vibe pervades this small bar, where the owner dispenses charm in…
Christchurch
A popular High St laneway spot, Not Without You morphs from a daytime cafe into an atmospheric after-dark bar and bistro. Partner NZ craft beers or more…
Parnell & Newmarket
A shrine to craft beers from around NZ, the Lumsden's outdoor terrace is a good spot to relax after exploring Newmarket's shops. Fifteen different beers…
Bay of Islands & Northland
One of the country's oldest pubs – established in 1865, but twice burnt down since then – the tavern's harbourside location is a top spot for an afternoon…
New Plymouth
Mike's proudly asserts its status as NZ's first craft-beer brewery (founded 1989) and when the beer is this good, why argue? Swing into Mike's new…
Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula
Located across the road from the Matamata i-SITE, this spacious and modern shrine to craft beer and cider is also a good place to eat. Sit outside under…
Rotorua
Inside a 1940s former police station (look for the Māori motifs on the facade), this busy pub serves up frosty beer, big-screen TVs, a beer garden, live…
Hamilton
In the semi-industrial northern outskirts of Hamilton, Brewraucracy's functional brewhouse space includes a compact and welcoming taproom. Around 16 beers…
Queenstown
How often do you get to drink in a courthouse, as opposed to ending up in a courthouse because of drink? This bar is inside a heritage-listed 1876-built…
Queenstown
Queenstown's legendary party hub before it was destroyed by fire in 2013, the World is once again spinning. Decor swings between degrees of eclectic, from…
Taupo
Craft beers in a craftily chosen spot. Nine taps pour a rotating selection of NZ brews, and there's a fridge filled with other hoppy goodness. You can…
Ponsonby & Karangahape Rd
Quite the best place to see and be seen on the Ponsonby strip, SPQR is a magnet for local scenesters who are quick to nab the tables on the footpath. Head…
Bay of Plenty
Located in a light industrial area 4km from central Mt Maunganui, Rising Tide is home base for the Mount Brewing Co and Funk Estate microbreweries, who…
Wellington
Tucked into the back-end of the elegant art-deco Embassy Theatre, this little avian bar is a noir, filmic spot for a cocktail or two after the movie. The …
New Plymouth
On a rise of Liardet St is this late-night tapas and craft-beer bar, with long leather banquettes and a cute little courtyard. Plenty of craft beers,…
Hamilton
Channelling a cool industrial vibe, the former Church of St George is now a shrine to craft beer. Order a flight of five beers ($16), and partner the…
Wellington
Fronting onto a precious pocket park, the Rogue is a scruffy, colourful, kaleidoscopic craft-beer bar with heaps of good beers flowing through 18 taps…
Taupo & the Ruapehu Region
The friendly owner refers to the Kitchen as his 'bach (beach house) with a bar attached'. Serving only NZ craft beer from a range of breweries, it's…
Waiheke Island
Once you're supping on a Waiheke wine or beer under the pohutukawa on the beach-gazing deck, it's easy to see why Charlie's has been a beloved island…
Wellington
While it's not strictly a secret (it's packed to the gills on balmy evenings) this hip bar atop the historic Hope Gibbons Ltd building plays hard to get,…
Wellington
Buried in a back lane, ochre-coloured LBQ is warm, inviting and moodily lit in all the right places. Fourteen well-curated taps (plus two hand-pulls) and…
Queenstown
Bunkered upstairs rather than down, this chi-chi little bar clearly fancies itself as the kind of place Sean Connery's James Bond might frequent, if the…
City Centre & Britomart
There's a slightly dishevelled colonial charm to this bar, discreetly tucked away above Auckland's oldest pub, which is completely in keeping with its…
Queenstown
This small, cavelike wine bar is all class. Under a low ceiling are plush leather armchairs and a fireplace made from Central Otago schist. Whisky is king…
The Wairarapa
It's hard to go anywhere in NZ these days and not find a craft brewery bubbling away in the corner. Martinborough is no exception. The brewery counters…
Napier
Take a tootle 19km north of Napier to check out this cool craft brewery in Eskdale – a big lager-coloured shed surrounded by vineyards and sheep paddocks…
Whanganui
One of the few places for a late night in Whang, Lucky also serves bar food worth eating (mains $15 to $28: pizzas, pesto spaghetti, polenta chips with…
Bay of Islands
This Mexican-style bar is about as energetic and raffish as buttoned-down Kerikeri gets, with a decent selection of tequila, Mexican beers and, just maybe…
Wellington
This bricky bunker is the HQ for a zealous beer-import business, splicing big-flavoured international brews into a smartly selected NZ range. Hopheads…
Napier
Napier's most civilised venue, Emporium is super atmospheric, with its marble-topped bar, fab art-deco details and old-fashioned relics strewn about…
