Northcote Tavern

The Northcote Tavern is a historic pub and hospitality venue located at Northcote Point on Auckland's North Shore in New Zealand. It traces its origins to the late 1850s, when Irish immigrant Philip Callan built the first hotel on the site, making it one of the oldest continuously operating pub sites in the Auckland region. Over more than 160 years the venue has evolved from a colonial-era stopping point for travellers between the North and Auckland into a modern community tavern while retaining an old English country pub atmosphere. Today the Northcote Tavern operates several distinct spaces. Callan's Sports Bar, named after the pioneer who first established a pub on the site, features big screens, betting facilities and 18 poker machines. The Highlander Bar offers old-world charm, while Point Espresso serves coffee, biscuits, cookies and other non-alcoholic drinks. The venue also offers outdoor areas and lawns that are popular with families, and it sells Nice Blocks, a natural and organic ice block brand. The tavern is known for its food offering, including Sunday roasts, pub pies and beer garden experiences, and it frequently appears in online searches for Auckland's best classic pubs and beer gardens. The Northcote Tavern remains a privately operated hospitality business. It is part of the North Shore community and continues to cater to modern requirements while preserving its historic character. The tavern's history section documents its long association with the Callan family and the development of Northcote Point.

The Northcote Tavern stands on a site at Northcote Point, Auckland, where a pub has operated since the 1850s. The first hotel was built in the late 1850s by Philip Callan, an Irish immigrant from County Cork who arrived in Auckland with his wife Jane in 1840. Callan, who worked as a farm labourer and later described himself as a farmer or brickmaker, began buying land in Birkenhead from 1845 and acquired land around Stokes Point, as Northcote Point was then called. He built the first wharf and established a brickworks on the beach, using bricks from it to construct a one-storey brick hotel. He operated the hotel with a publican's bush licence costing five pounds per annum, and was owner and publican for the next nine years. The hotel became a focal point and meeting place. At that time Northcote and Devonport were the only two stopping points for travellers going from the North to Auckland. The first hotel was called 'The North Auckland Hotel' and later the 'Ferry Hotel'. A condition of operating the hotel was that they had to keep a boat, reflecting its role in ferry transport. Over the following decades the tavern continued to serve the Northcote Point community. By the 2020s, more than 160 years after the first hotel was built, the Northcote Tavern remains a place for people to have a drink and socialise, but it has expanded to offer sport, food, family and community activities. The venue now includes Callan's Sports Bar, named after the pioneer who first established a pub here, with big screens, betting facilities and 18 poker machines; the Highlander Bar, known for its old-world charm; Point Espresso for coffee and non-alcoholic drinks; and outdoor areas and lawns popular with families. The tavern also sells Nice Blocks, a natural and organic ice block brand. It is known for its Sunday roasts, beer garden and pub pies, and often appears in online searches for Auckland's best classic pubs.

• 2020

  Northcote Tavern continues to operate with modern facilities while retaining historic character.

• 1850

  First hotel built on the Northcote Point site by Philip Callan.

• 1845

  Philip Callan begins buying land in Birkenhead.

• 1840

  Philip Callan arrives in Auckland with his wife Jane.

Historic community tavern with old English country pub charm, modern amenities and family-friendly outdoor spaces.

• Callan's Sports Bar

  Sports bar with big screens, betting facilities and 18 poker machines.

• The Highlander Bar

  Bar with old-world charm, described as like walking back in time.

• Point Espresso

  Coffee outlet serving biscuits, cookies and non-alcoholic drinks.

• Nice Blocks

  Natural and organic ice block brand sold at the tavern.

1. 1Northcote Tavern official websitenorthcotetavern.co.nz
2. 2History of the Northcote Tavernnorthcotetavern.co.nz
3. 3Northcote Tavern - Wikidatawikidata.org