Fork & Brewer, Wellington

 A guest post by Andy Evans.

After the previous month’s barrage of extreme weather events in Auckland (the city was hit by flash flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle two weeks apart), it was a welcome change to spend a weekend in notoriously windy Wellington.

The main attraction of the weekend was the cricket - the second match of the test series between New Zealand and England, held at the Basin Reserve.

Despite being placed in the middle of a roundabout, the ground is peaceful (with the exception of the Barmy Army trumpeter), and punters queue up with their deck chairs to get the best view on the grassy banks.

Sadly the day came to a premature conclusion, as the rain arrived and stole away a couple of hours from the evening session. Disappointing, but this did mean an earlier visit to the bars of the craft beer capital of New Zealand.

Particularly of note for me was Fork & Brewer, a brewpub with 42 beers on tap.

Once you reach the top of the number of stairs you meet on entry, you come across the brewing vessels proudly on display.

The bar itself forms a circle and splits the room into two, with a restaurant style setting on one side. On tap is a wide selection of Fork and Brewer’s own creations, while you can also purchase imported bottled beers from across the globe, including Old Speckled Hen and St Austell's Proper Job.

The first concoction of my choosing was Fork and Brewer’s 'The Twilight Zone', which was a black lager largely resembling the tmavé Czech dark style.

Secondly I couldn’t resist a taste of the 'Wake Me Up Before You Cocoa', also brewed in-house. This chocolate milk stout is rich and smooth, without being overpowered with novelty flavour.

On offer from the kitchen is a mixture of traditional pub grub, burgers and pizza. 

Wellington boasts some spectacular viewpoints to take in the whole city, and also look across the Cook Strait, the body of water that separates the North and South Islands. 

The climb to the top of Mount Victoria is an essential part of any visit.

Andy Evans is from Newbury, UK. In 2022 he began a work and travel year in New Zealand. 

He studied Politics at the University of Leeds. Andy reached the quarter finals of the Channel 4 TV programme Countdown (series 81) in 2019. He has travelled extensively in Europe to watch Wales play international football matches.