Australian Brewery Little Creatures Is Opening a Beer Hall in Hobsonville

Popular Australian craft brewery Little Creatures is scheduled to launch its first site in New Zealand.

The opening will be part of the multi-million dollar Catalina Bay development planned for the former RNZ Air Force airfield at Hobsonville Point. The Fremantle beer-makers are known for transforming old dusty spaces into majestical beer halls, so it's only natural they selected a vintage seaplane hangar for their second venture outside Australia.

Founded in 2000, Little Creatures has grown to become one of Australasia's best-loved craft breweries. The company is regularly commended for bringing the fruity beer movement down under.

The Hobsonville Point micro-brewery will produce and peddle all of the Little Creatures favourites out of the 1500 square-metre Sunderland Hanger, plus a specially-brewed beer for the region and small batch, short-run brews. To provide imbibers with some sustenance, the space will also be home to a dining hall offering premium fish 'n' chips and an all-day café.

Hobsonville Point

Property developers Willis Bond & Co are the brains behind the mixed-use Catalina Bay development. Cheshire Architects (Britomart, Ponsonby Central) have been enlisted to put their finesse on the waterfront location — something that it is already being touted as "the new weekend destination for Aucklanders".

The development will also welcome back the popular farmer's market and include two other dining venues: a restaurant and a café which will sit directly over the water. Apartments will be added in the second stage of the development.

Catalina Bay and Little Creatures is expected to open late 2018.