Yup, NickJD is right. You can get decent beer in a lot of places over there, including the supermarkets.
:icon_offtopic: I dunno if you're into this kinda thing but when we were at the Bay of Islands we went skydiving and it was AMAZING. If you want to do it go with Skydive Zone (Keri Keri airport), not the place in Paihia because they go higher (20,000 feet) and you get an amazing view of the bay. Swimming with the dolphins was pretty awesome too.