Pig & Whistle, Historic Pub

About Pig & Whistle, Historic Pub

Pig & Whistle Historic Pub sits on the corner of Haupapa and Tutanekai Street in Rotorua, housed in a bold 1940s building that served as Rotorua's Police Station until 1969. Today it's a local landmark offering a wide range of New Zealand craft beer and cider on tap, New Zealand wines, hearty pub food, and live entertainment every weekend.

The building itself has real heritage significance — constructed with 18-inch-thick concrete walls, over 1,000 cubic yards of concrete and 37 tons of reinforcing steel, finished with a brick veneer and featuring a carved Royal Coat of Arms and Maori design motifs around its roofline. It was considered one of Rotorua's most imposing main street buildings when it opened, so distinctive that it was mistaken for a library, post office, bank, tourist office and even a place of worship — but, as a 1940 New Zealand Police Journal noted, never mistaken for a pub.

The pub gives back to the local community, donating $1 from every litre of Pale Ale sold to the Rotorua Mountain Bike Club First Response Unit and the Rotorua Trails Trust.

Pig & Whistle Historic Pub: Rotorua's Landmark Craft Beer and Pub Food Destination

On the corner of Haupapa and Tutanekai Street, Pig & Whistle Historic Pub occupies one of Rotorua's most distinctive buildings — a bold piece of 1940s architecture with a story as interesting as its menu.

A Building With a Past

The Pig & Whistle's home opened in 1940 and served as Rotorua's Police Station until 1969, when police moved to Fenton Street. The site was chosen by the Minister in Charge of Police at the time, despite local feeling that the corner was too commercially valuable for a police station. Built under specifications from Government Architect JT Mair, the building used over 1,000 cubic yards of concrete and 37 tons of reinforcing steel behind 18-inch-thick walls, finished with a brick veneer. Its entrance featured a Royal Coat of Arms carved in stone, and Maori design motifs ran around the building near the roofline — details a 1940 New Zealand Police Journal noted made the building so distinctive it had been mistaken for a library, post office, bank, tourist office, and even a place of worship. Nobody, the journal wryly noted, had yet mistaken it for a pub.

Craft Beer, Wine and Pub Food

Today, that heritage building houses a proper Kiwi pub, with a wide range of New Zealand craft beer and cider on tap alongside New Zealand wines. The kitchen serves an extensive pub food menu from 11:30am, seven days a week, covering everything from shared starters to hearty mains, burgers, salads and desserts.

A Menu Built for Sharing and Comfort

Starters range from toasted garlic bread and today's soup through to a seafood chowder, while the snack and share section covers crumbed mac and cheese balls, a skewer platter of prawn, lamb and harissa chicken, buffalo hot wings, and both chicken and vegan chicken tacos. Pub classics lean into slow-cooked comfort food: a NZ lamb shank in rosemary gravy, 12-hour slow cooked brisket, pork spare ribs with a dry rub, a beef cheek, ale and mushroom pot pie, and a 300g Scotch fillet with a choice of sauce. Burgers, sandwiches and salads round out the main menu, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options clearly marked throughout — including a Goodness Bowl, a gluten-free vegan burger, and a gluten-free vege lasagne. A dedicated children's menu and a small selection of desserts, including a banoffee sundae and warm chocolate brownie, complete the offering.

Live Music and Quiz Nights

Beyond food and drink, the Pig & Whistle is known for its weekend entertainment, with live bands playing rock, pop and everything in between from 9:30pm every weekend. Thursday nights during winter are given over to pub quiz, kicking off at 6:30pm — regulars are advised to grab a team of knowledgeable mates and reserve a table in the upstairs room from 5:30pm to secure a spot.

Supporting the Local Community

The pub also gives back locally: for every litre of Pale Ale sold, $1 is donated to the Rotorua Mountain Bike Club First Response Unit and the Rotorua Trails Trust, tying the pub's trade directly to local outdoor recreation and safety initiatives.

Functions and Private Events

For groups wanting their own space, the Pig & Whistle has an upstairs private bar available for functions, adding another dimension to what the venue can offer beyond regular pub dining.

Visiting Pig & Whistle Historic Pub

Pig & Whistle Historic Pub is located at 1182 Tutanekai Street, Rotorua, open from 11:30am daily, with later closing on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Whether it's a quiet meal, weekend live music, Thursday quiz night, or a private function upstairs, the pub combines a genuinely significant piece of Rotorua history with a menu and atmosphere built for regular visits.

Signature items

• NZ Lamb Shank
• Scotch Fillet
• Pork Spare Ribs
• Seafood Platter
• Slow Cooked Brisket
• Beef Cheek, Ale & Mushroom Pot Pie

Menu

Sides

• Pigtail Fries, Straight Cut Fries, Potato & Kumara Mash, Green Salad or Steamed Vegetables — Side options
• Extra Dips — Additional sauce or dip
• Fried Egg — Add-on fried egg

Salads

• Prawn & Calamari Salad — Crispy lemon pepper prawn & calamari on lettuce, asian slaw, cucumber, tomato & hoisin sesame dressing
• Harissa Chicken Salad (GFO) — Spicy marinated chicken breast on lettuce, asian slaw, cucumber, tomato, avocado & cashews
• Goodness Bowl (ve) — Cajun roasted vegetables, grilled tofu, quinoa, beetroot, falafel, pumpkin & sunflower seeds, dukkah & mint coconut yoghurt
• Chicken Caesar Salad (GFO) — Cos lettuce, smoked chicken, bacon, caesar dressing, shaved parmesan, boiled egg & cheese kaiser

Desserts

• Pink Lemonade Raw Slice (GF, VE) — With compote & coconut yoghurt
• Apple Crumble Pie — With ice-cream & custard
• Banoffee Sundae — Banana, vanilla ice-cream, biscuit, toffee sauce, cream & shaved chocolate
• Chocolate Brownie (gf) — Warm chocolate brownie with ice-cream & chocolate sauce

To Start

• Toasted Garlic Bread — 4 slices
• Tear & Share Garlic Loaf — With dip, serves 4+
• Today's Soup — With freshly baked bread, chef's flavour on the board
• Seafood Chowder — With freshly baked bread

Pub Classics

• NZ Lamb Shank — Slow cooked in rosemary gravy with potato & kumara mash, peas & Yorkshire pudding
• Sweet Chilli Chicken Pasta — Chicken thigh, bacon, spinach & green onion in a creamy sweet chilli sauce
• Slow Cooked Brisket — 12 hour slow cooked brisket with potato bake, portobello mushroom, seasonal vege, bacon jam, sour cream & gravy
• NZ Lamb Rump (GFO) — Garlic & mint marinated lamb with quinoa, olive, feta, sun-dried tomato, spinach, hummus, tzatziki & garlic pita
• Fish & Chips — Beer battered or pan-fried fish of the day with pigtail fries, salad & tartare sauce
• Roasted Salmon (GFO) — South Island salmon with a creamy Tuscan sauce, straight cut fries & salad
• Scotch Fillet (GFO) — 300g prime fillet with fries & salad or vegetables and mash, choice of mushroom & bacon or garlic sauce
• Pork Belly (GFO) — With kumara & potato mash, herb & apricot stuffing, seasonal vegetables, apple & pineapple sauce & gravy
• Pork Spare Ribs — Slow cooked 12 hours with a dry rub, mac & cheese, corn bread, Alabama slaw & smoky BBQ sauce
• Vege Lasagne (v)(gf) — Layered root vegetables with house made tomato sauce, gluten free lasagne & green salad
• Beef Cheek, Ale & Mushroom Pot Pie — NZ beef cheek slow cooked with winter ale, rich gravy & mushrooms, butter puff pastry top, mash & vege

Snack & Share

• Crumbed Mac & Cheese Balls (v) — Made with three cheeses, served with rocket & smoked chipotle relish
• Skewer Platter (GFI) — Crispy lemon pepper prawn, NZ lamb and harissa chicken skewers with tzatziki, sweet chilli and aioli
• Seafood Platter — Thai green curry mussels, prawn skewers, fresh fish bites, lemon pepper calamari & garlic bread
• Buffalo Hot Wings — With carrot & celery sticks & a blue cheese dip
• Chicken Tacos — Spicy buttermilk chicken bites with crisp slaw, corn chips, smoked chipotle aioli & coriander
• Vegan Chicken Tacos (ve) — Turmeric grilled vegan chicken with crisp slaw & smoked chipotle relish
• Pulled Pork Steamed Buns — Overnight cooked pork shoulder with cider BBQ sauce, kewpie mayo, apple & fennel slaw & daikon carrot pickle
• Brisket Loaded Fries — Straight cut fries with cheese, slow cooked brisket, mushroom & bacon gravy (serves 2-4)
• Jack Fruit Steamed Buns (ve) — Pulled jack fruit buns with apple & fennel slaw, daikon carrot pickle, vegan aioli, BBQ sauce & crispy shallots
• Spicy Beef Nachos — With melted cheese & sour cream
• Pigtail Fries — Served with tomato sauce & aioli
• Straight Cut Fries — Served with tomato sauce & aioli

Children'S Menu

• Beef Burger — Smashed beef pattie, cheddar cheese, tomato sauce & aioli, served with pigtail fries
• Crumbed Chicken Tenders — Served with pigtail fries
• Fresh Fish Bites — With tomato sauce & aioli, served with pigtail fries
• Kids Meatballs & Linguine — In tomato sauce, topped with melted cheese

Burgers & Sandwiches

• NZ Lamb Burger — Prime NZ lamb patties with beetroot relish, cheddar, tomato, lettuce, red onion, aioli & tomato relish
• Smashed Beef Burger — Maple BBQ NZ beef patties, streaky bacon, cheddar, tomato, lettuce, red onion, relish & BBQ sauce
• Pulled Pork Burger — Maple BBQ pulled pork, McClure's pickles, slaw, crispy onion rings & kewpie mayo
• Chicken Satay Burger — Grilled marinated free range chicken with spicy satay sauce, asian slaw, lettuce, red onion & aioli
• Veggie Burger (v) — Water chestnut & mushroom pattie & corn fritter with relish, portobello mushroom, cheddar, aioli & vegetable chutney
• Gluten Free Vegan Burger (GF,VE) — Beyond meat pattie, tomato, lettuce, red onion, vegan cheese, basil pesto, tomato jam & vegan mayo, with Proper Crisps
• Open Brisket Sandwich — Cheese kaiser roll topped with 12 hour slow cooked brisket, grilled onion & capsicum, tomato jam, melted cheese, fried egg & aioli

Frequently asked questions

What time does the kitchen open?

The full menu is available from 11:30am, seven days a week.

Is there live music at the Pig & Whistle?

Yes, live bands play rock, pop and more from 9:30pm every weekend.

When are the quiz nights?

Thursday nights throughout winter, starting at 6:30pm — reserve a table from 5:30pm in the upstairs room.

Is there a space for private functions?

Yes, there is an upstairs private bar available for functions.

What's the history of the building?

It opened in 1940 and served as Rotorua's Police Station until 1969.

Does the pub support any local causes?

Yes, $1 from every litre of Pale Ale sold is donated to the Rotorua Mountain Bike Club First Response Unit and the Rotorua Trails Trust.

Are there vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free options?

Yes, the menu clearly marks vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and gluten-free-option dishes throughout.

Tips

• {"body":"Reserve a table in the upstairs room from 5:30pm before the 6:30pm Thursday quiz.","title":"Book ahead for quiz nights in winter"}
• {"body":"Bands play rock, pop and more from 9:30pm every weekend.","title":"Catch live music on weekends"}
• {"body":"It's available for functions and private events.","title":"Ask about the upstairs private bar for groups"}

Good to know

• {"family":"A dedicated children's menu is available","dietary":"Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free (or gluten-free option) dishes marked throughout the menu"}