Where to find NZ’s best country pubs

Peter Janssen shares the top six historic country pubs from his new guide to New Zealand’s best rural watering holes. Photo / New Zealand Pubs: 170 Classic Pubs to Visit
It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. Peter Janssen visited hundreds of pubs around Aotearoa to write his new book New Zealand Pubs, aguide to 170 of the best historic pubs left today. Here, he names his top six country pubs.
Like most coal towns, Nightcaps has fallen on hard times, but one bright light in this coal field is the local pub. When the old Railway Hotel burned down in the 1940s, a smart Art Deco pub rose in its place, fireproofed with massive concrete walls 12 inches thick, and reinforced with old iron railway tracks.
Today the beating heart of this small community, the renamed Nightcap Hotel hosts regular events, especially those that involve music, and caters for those drawn to the area for hunting, fishing and cycling. A big hit with the locals and visitors are the scrumptious home-made Taki sausage rolls. What could be better than to sit by the wide windows with a Taki roll, a glass of your favourite beverage and look out of over the rolling hills of northern Southland?
READ MORE: The best local pubs in Auckland.
Around 1870, the small stone Silverstream Hotel was built on the main road to the Mackenzie Country. Today the pub has been partially restored back to its original stone, while inside the liberal use of wood and a fresh colour scheme has created that cosy ambience we all want in a country pub. Decorated with historical photos, the real gem is the roll call of the Mackenzie Collie Club, an honours board dating back to 1891 listing the local dog trial winners (an event still held today).
The wood burner keeps the pub toasty in the winter, while summer visitors can enjoy the sun in its sheltered garden bar. The Silverstream Hotel is not just a place to call into on your way to the Mackenzie Country, but for fans of old pubs, it is well worth a trip in itself.
While the first hotel was built sometime in the early 1860s, the current hotel replaced the original, which burned down in 1915. Typically rustic on the outside, the interior of the pub is quite a surprise. Traditional elements such as the wooden floors, the occasional deer head, old dusty bottles and vintage radios mix with contemporary Māori art and the stylish Japanese restaurant. The Japanese influence extends into the large sunny garden bar. The bar offers a good variety of craft beer and an extensive wine list which, as you would expect, has a focus on local labels.
In 1872, the Whakataki Marine Hotel opened for business with 12 bedrooms and several sitting rooms, along with stabling for horses and paddocks for stock. An earthquake in 1904 badly damaged the hotel, toppling all the chimneys and destroying the entire stock of liquor, while in the 1920s a fire damaged the hotel. No doubt a survivor, today an open bar/dining area runs along the front of the old building and out to a large garden perfect for those warm Wairarapa days, and with plenty of space for the kids to play. With its warm interior and friendly atmosphere, if you are looking for a pub that ticks all the boxes for a great country hotel, this is your place.
Built as the Hunterville Hotel in 1882, when the railway station opened five years later, the pub changed its name to the Station Hotel. Originally, this small building contained 26 rooms, a commercial room, two sitting rooms and a large billiard room. While the original verandas have long gone, the exterior is typical of a Victorian-era hotel, while inside is a wonderful combination of the best historical features and contemporary comfort, enhanced by a wood fire in winter, good food, and a warm welcome.
It is impossible to miss the Matata Hotel when zipping down SH2 just west of Whakatāne. However, the road wasn’t even there when the hotel was built sometime before 1870, but instead the hotel serviced a small port exporting flax. Nor was it a quiet place, as tensions were high after the clashes between British forces and Māori over land at Ōpōtiki, a conflict further fuelled by ancient iwi rivalries. However, in 1884 the hotel hosted a meeting between two old rivals, Māori leader Te Kooti and Captain Gilbert Mair, who spent most of the day drinking rum and recounting their earlier, much less friendly encounters.
In 1926, the rail line from Tauranga to Tāneatua opened and the port closed, but the well-placed pub continued to flourish. Today, a long open bar runs along the front of the hotel, which opens out into an enormous garden bar. In summer, the windows open out to the main road and the lagoon, as well as regular music gigs, make the Matata a popular rendezvous for both locals and visitors alike.
New Zealand Pubs: 170 Classic Pubs to Visit by Peter Janssen ($39.99 RRP), White Cloud Books from Upstart Press.