Crossing the Tasman

We were up at a reasonable hour this morning for a flight out of Sydney to Auckland. From the airport's Ibis Budget hotel it was a quick shuttle ride to the terminal, where we checked in and made our way to the Qantas lounge.

Lounge brekky

Breakfast was laid on and we availed ourselves of the spread of muesli, yoghurt, cooked items, pastries, and (don't judge me) a glass of bubbly each. We were in the mood to celebrate the next leg of our journey: six weeks touring the North and South Islands of New Zealand.

The flight to Auckland was barely 3 hours and took us over the Tasman Sea with magnificent views of Northland, which we intend to explore in the coming few days.

Rangitoto and Motutapu islands off the coast of Auckland

Lunch on board was a tasty aubergine curry, with dal and rice. The in-flight vegetarian option is often some form of Indian food. As well as some Anzac bicuits, the stewards regularly popped to ply us with further treats: tea, coffee, wine, ice cream, chocolates. The service was excellent.

Hooray! Ice cream

Landing in Auckland, we took the express bus to the centre and checked into our less-than-salubrious accommodation: the Nomads Fat Camel backpackers hostel. With a bar downstairs and an advertised 'bar crawl' boasting in excess of 100 participants each night, it was the very image of backpacker hostelling that we try to avoid. Nevertheless, until we pick up our camper van, cheap accommodation options are limited.

Auckland's ferry terminal

We took ourselves out for walk along the harbour 'viaduct' in the fading evening sunlight. The Queen Victoria cruise ship was in and the waterfront bars and eateries were full of the Thursday evening clientele.

Harbour view from the viaduct

Rather at my instigation, we repaired to a bar slightly removed from the waterfront hubbub, but which would serve us a wider selection of craft beer.

Sky Tower

Presently, we arrived at Brothers Beer, a comfy little nook in amongst a number of other artisanal outlets selling boutique bread and burgers on Nelson Street. Four kettles occupy the side wall, while much of the space is given over to a comfortable set of retro-upholstered sofas and chairs, which complement the range of vintage toys, from Tracy Island to 50s-style robots. Several fridges and shelves groan under the weight of home-grown and imported beers from Epic, Turatara, Garage Project, and 8 Wired, to Rogue, Moon Dog and Left Coast.

Garage Project's utilitarian packaging

Alongside the bottles is a twenty-strong tap selection, from which we pulled first 8 Wired's Wireless sour IPA and Haywired wheat beer, both setting the bar for NZ brewing very high. A tasting board of five brews accompanied our aubergine and pepper pizza, with representation from Bohemian, Gigantic, and Left Coast. Common consensus ruled that the California-brewed 11% imperial red ale was the top of this selection, but not one for everyday sipping.