Cheese Travel in New Zealand

Where the Cheese Is

New Zealand has no cheese route and only a handful of makers open their doors, so it pays to plan around the few that do. Most of them sit on or near State Highway 1, which makes them easy stops on a road trip.

Canterbury and Banks Peninsula

Barrys Bay Cheese is the last of the nine small dairy factories that once worked Banks Peninsula, and you pass it on the road from Christchurch to Akaroa. Its window looks straight onto the vat. North of Christchurch, Karikaas makes Dutch-style gouda, leyden and maasdam on a farm in Loburn and sells them from a small shop.

North Otago and Dunedin

Oamaru is home to Whitestone, one of the country's best-known cheesemakers, with a guided factory tour and a diner in town. Further south on State Highway 1, Evansdale Cheese at Hawksbury Village, near the Karitane turn-off, has made cheese since 1977 and has a factory shop.

Queenstown and Central Otago

The Gibbston Valley Cheesery sits at a winery in the Kawarau Gorge, with a private room for cheese and wine pairings. It is the obvious cheese stop for anyone based in Queenstown.

Waikato and Coromandel

The North Island's dairy heartland has Over the Moon Dairy on State Highway 1 in Putāruru, which makes cheese from cow, goat, sheep and buffalo milk and offers free tastings. South of Thames, The Cheese Barn at Matatoki is an organic cheese factory with a café, a viewing window and an animal paddock, right on the Hauraki Rail Trail.

Northland and Wairarapa

In the Bay of Islands, Mahoe has made gouda and edam from its own herd since 1986 and sells it from a farm shop on State Highway 10. Over the hill from Wellington, C'est Cheese in Featherston stocks cheese from small makers across the country and makes its own Remutaka Pass Creamery blues and washed rinds behind a viewing window.

When to Go

Spring to autumn is cheesemaking season for the smaller factories, because that is when local cows are in milk. Barrys Bay makes cheese from September to May, so a visit in winter (June to August) means the shop is open but the vat is usually idle. Summer, from December to February, is the busiest time on the roads to Akaroa and Queenstown. October is New Zealand Cheese Month, when cheesemakers run promotions and events. The New Zealand Cheese Awards, the national competition, announced its 2026 winners in March; it is a trade event with no public tasting.

Suggested Routes

South Island, Five Days

Start in Christchurch and spend a day on Banks Peninsula, stopping at Barrys Bay on a weekday morning on the way to Akaroa. Drive south on State Highway 1 to Oamaru for the Whitestone tour, which runs Tuesday to Friday at 10am, then continue to Hawksbury for Evansdale before Dunedin. Finish inland in Queenstown with an afternoon cheese and wine pairing at Gibbston Valley. If you start from Christchurch heading north instead, Karikaas in Loburn is open Monday to Wednesday only.

North Island, Two Days from Auckland

Drive to Thames and have lunch at The Cheese Barn (closed Mondays; Tuesday and Wednesday are the best days to see cheese being made). Carry on south to Putāruru for a tasting at Over the Moon, and if it is a Friday, book its 10:30am Talk and Taste session. On Sunday morning, Over the Moon also has a stall at the Hamilton Farmers Market at Claudelands.

Getting Around

A car or campervan is the practical way to reach every stop here. Most are on State Highway 1, 6 or 26, and none is near a railway. Gibbston Valley is the exception: the winery sells its cheese and wine pairing with return transport from Queenstown. Most makers sell cheese chilled, so a cool bag in the car is worth having.

More Cheesemakers With Shops

Closed to Visitors

The Puhoi Valley Café and Cheese Store north of Auckland is closed, and Puhoi Valley cheese is now sold only through shops. Kāpiti cheese has no shop or factory to visit on the Kāpiti Coast. Kaikōura Cheese no longer has a website and is reported closed, so check locally before making a detour.