The Kentish Hotel in Waiuku lays claim to the longest continuous liquor licence in New Zealand. Built in 1851 by Edward Constable, who emigrated from Maidstone in Kent, England, the hotel was granted Publican's Special Licence No. 47 on 10 January 1853 — a licence that continues unbroken to this day.
For more than 170 years the Kentish has been at the heart of Waiuku life. It occupies a central spot in town near the entrance to the Waiuku harbour, opposite the popular Tamakae Reserve, a base for the Waiuku Museum and other attractions. Its walls carry over 450 photographs celebrating the people who have made New Zealand and Waiuku history, and past guests have ranged from the Māori King Te Whero Whero to Sir George Grey, Richard Seddon, Sir Joseph Ward and William Massey.
Today the beautifully refurbished hotel invites you in for a drink at the bar or a meal in the Portside Restaurant — perhaps with a bottle of local Awhitu Rosé and the views of the estuary. A popular outdoor Portside Bar area overlooks the harbour and Tamakae Reserve. The kitchen serves all-day bar snacks, a breakfast menu, starters and generous sharing platters, with a takeaway menu, desserts, tapas, bottomless brunch or dinner and hi tea also on offer.
The Kentish is also a venue for weddings, parties and functions, hosts live music and events, and offers accommodation for guests who want to stay the night — all in a building that has survived fires, land wars and 170-odd years of thirsty travellers.
On Queen Street in Waiuku, a small town beside the Waiuku estuary south of Auckland, stands a pub that has been legally pouring longer than any other in the country. The Kentish Hotel was built in 1851 by Edward Constable, an emigrant from Maidstone in Kent, England. Constable applied to the Colonial Secretary for a Publican's Special Licence, and Licence No. 47 was granted on 10 January 1853. That same licence continues today, and the hotel lays claim to the longest continuous liquor licence in New Zealand — a distinction it wears with pride.
From its earliest days the Kentish sat at the centre of town life. The Constables advertised on the front page of the New Zealander, the most popular newspaper of the period, and travellers began recommending the establishment. Its position along a major trading route between the fledgling colonial capital of Auckland and the rich, fertile lands of the Waikato helped it thrive, and it even survived the tense years of the Waikato land wars of 1862–63. The guest list reads like a roll call of colonial New Zealand: the Māori King Te Whero Whero, Sir George Grey, Richard Seddon, Sir Joseph Ward and William Massey have all been hosted here.
The building has had its close calls. In 1926 a fire destroyed a block of wooden buildings opposite, and as the wind fanned the flames a host of volunteers poured water and hung wet sheets over the hotel's facade, saving most of the building from significant damage. Today more than 450 photographs throughout the hotel celebrate the personalities who have made New Zealand and Waiuku history. The Kentish's story continues to attract attention: RNZ has named it among five of the best classic Kiwi pubs, the NZ Herald has included it in round-ups of Auckland's iconic pubs and historic places to eat and drink, and one Stuff feature even explored the legend of Kate, the hotel's resident ghost.
Step inside the beautifully refurbished hotel and you'll find classic country-pub comfort layered over more than 170 years of stories. The Portside Restaurant serves the dine-in menu, and there are few better ways to spend an afternoon than with a bottle of local Awhitu Rosé while enjoying the views of the estuary. More recently the Kentish expanded to add a popular outdoor Portside Bar area, overlooking the harbour entrance and Tamakae Reserve — the reserve opposite that serves as a base for the Waiuku Museum and other attractions.
The kitchen covers plenty of ground. All-day bar snacks run from cauliflower bites, garlic bread and crumbed scallops to loaded wedges, polenta chips and the Bar Basket — a mix of samosas, spring rolls, wontons and fries with sauces. Breakfast is served from 11am to 2pm, with options like The Works Kiwi Breakfast (eggs any style with bacon, sausages, hash browns, grilled tomato, mushrooms and baked beans), The Kentish Benny with poached eggs and hollandaise, and Loaded Waffles in sweet or savoury form.
Starters include camembert bites, spiced pork larb, salt and pepper calamari, Thai mussels in red curry sauce, prawn cocktail and eggplant fritters. The sharing boards are the crowd-pleasers: a cheese platter for two, a Fajita Board, a platter of slow-cooked pulled pork sliders, the Oceans Seafood Platter loaded with beer-battered fish, salt and pepper squid, smoked salmon, garlic prawns, crumbed scallops and mussels, and the Constables Meat Platter with spareribs in the portside special BBQ sauce, BBQ chicken nibbles, a 250g sirloin and crispy onion rings. Beyond the dine-in menu there's a takeaway menu, Kentish desserts, tapas and platters, a bottomless brunch or dinner, and hi tea, with vegetarian and gluten-free options marked on the menu.
The Kentish is a genuine community hub. Live music features in its calendar of events, the hotel hosts weddings, parties and functions, and there's accommodation for those who want to make a night of it. Whether you come for a drink in New Zealand's oldest continuously licensed pub, a long lunch at Portside or a wedding, you'll quite literally be drinking in history.