Description:

Takapuna Surf Club is a modern beach pub built on familiarity. Perched above the corner of Hurstmere Road with sweeping views over Takapuna Beach, it gives Auckland’s North Shore the kind of all-day local it has long been missing. Relaxed, welcoming and impossible to overstay.

The venue was developed by Five Fellas - the team behind some of Auckland’s most successful hospitality brands from Dr Rudis to Queens. The aim for this venture? Something Takapuna locals could claim, and the rest of Auckland would seek out.

This is not a themed surf club, but a venue that borrows just enough nostalgia to feel like it has always been part of the coastline. The space is built to support long lunches, spontaneous sunset drinks and big, buzzing nights. A central sweeping bar anchors the layout, with seating zones that cater to groups, families and solo visits. There is a kids’ corner, a darts zone and an open pizza kitchen, all designed to foster ease and sociability.

Materiality was used to reinforce the laid-back, coastal tone. Travertine flooring, breeze block accents, white plaster and reclaimed timber decking deliver texture and timelessness. Black steel and aged copper lighting bring edge and contrast. Colour is kept soft and sandy, echoing the beach below without tipping into cliché.

The venue makes the most of its elevated position, with generous indoor-outdoor flow and lush coastal planting throughout. Brick planters and layered lighting bring structure and softness across the large floorplate, giving the venue rhythm and warmth at every hour of the day.

Takapuna Surf Club stands out not because it is flashy, but because it knows what it is doing. It captures the ease of classic Kiwi beach venues and reinterprets it for today. Considered, flexible and completely unpretentious. It gives the North Shore a new favourite meeting place and adds a much-needed layer of personality to the area’s hospitality scene.