Emporium Brewing at 57a Beach Road in Kaikoura is far more than just a brewery. On one site you'll find a working craft brewery with an on-site bar serving lunch, an 18-hole Kaikoura-themed mini golf course and two escape rooms — a full line-up of dry-land entertainment for when you're back from the town's famous ocean adventures.
The business is run by Paul and Laura Finney, who moved to Kaikoura in August 2016 after owning a successful homebrew shop in Christchurch, where they also contract brewed their Emporium beers. They found a building big enough for their own brewery — with an existing mini golf course thrown in — and opened their doors just five weeks before the region's big earthquake, persevering through it to build a spot that now welcomes tourists and locals of all ages.
At the bar you can grab lunch while sampling the beers, and the brewery fills riggers and sells bottled beer for take-away so you can bring the taste of Kaikoura home. Families are a big part of the picture, and the venue also hosts birthday parties and runs events like Kegkoura.
Please note: the site recently suffered flood damage and Emporium Brewing is currently closed until further notice — check their website or social pages for reopening updates.
Tucked down behind the Caltex garage on Kaikoura's SH1, at 57a Beach Road, Emporium Brewing describes itself as "more than just a brewery" — and it isn't kidding. Behind an easy-to-miss driveway between the old vets and Dusky Lodge sits a working craft brewery with its own bar, an 18-hole Kaikoura-themed mini golf course and two escape rooms, all run by one local family. It's the sort of place that can absorb a whole afternoon: a round of golf, a puzzle room or two, and a cold house-brewed beer while the town's famous marine life takes care of the rest of the day's itinerary.
Emporium is very much a family story. Paul and Laura Finney moved to Kaikoura in August 2016 after years running a successful homebrew shop in Christchurch, where they also contract brewed their Emporium beers. The search for a building big enough to house their own brewery led them to the Beach Road site — plenty big enough for the brewery, with an existing mini golf course thrown in and, in their words, lots of potential to add other fun attractions.
The timing, by their own admission, wasn't perfect: they opened their doors just five weeks before the big earthquake that shook Kaikoura. But their determination to put the dream into reality kept them going, and the business became a fixture for locals and tourists alike — dry-land entertainment that pairs nicely with a day out on the water.
The heart of it all is the brewery. The on-site bar pours the Emporium range, and it's also a place to grab lunch while you sample the beers — a proper working brewery bar rather than a contrived one. If you like what you try, you don't have to leave it behind: the team fills riggers and sells bottled beer for take-away.
Then there's the play. The 18-hole mini golf course is themed around Kaikoura itself and is genuinely fun for all ages — families with kids, couples, and groups of friends turning the back nine into a competition. The two escape rooms are popular the world over for good reason: a brilliant team-building exercise and just about the perfect indoor activity for one of those occasional rainy days the coast serves up.
Everything about the place is relaxed and family-first. You'll often spot the Finneys' two young daughters wandering the site like they own it — the original brewery baby, Hazel, now has a little sister. Long-time visitors may remember Poppy the brewery cat, everyone's favourite staff member, now laid to rest in her favourite spot out on the mini golf course. The family also takes the environment seriously, saying the beautiful town deserves to be looked after for future generations.
Under normal hours, Emporium Brewing opens Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 6pm, stays open until 9pm on Fridays, and closes Tuesdays and Wednesdays — though it opens seven days during New Zealand school holidays, and shuts on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. There's parking on site, though large campervans and cars with trailers are asked to park on the road.
One important note: the site has recently suffered flood damage and Emporium Brewing is currently closed until further notice, with no reopening date confirmed. Given the team's track record of bouncing back from earthquake and disruption, few would bet against a return — but if you're planning a trip, check their website or social pages first for the latest, or ring 03 319 5897 to ask about reopening, escape room bookings or birthday parties.