Barrys Bay Cheese

What You See

A large window between the shop and the factory looks onto the make room. The factory was built in 1953 and was then the most modern in the country, running five open vats and making more than 400 tonnes of cheese a year. Today there is one vat. The main product used to be rinded cheddar in 36 kg truckles, and cheddar is still the cheese most people come for, alongside European-style wheels, blue, havarti and flavoured cheeses.

When to Come

Cheese is made Monday to Friday, and sometimes on Saturdays, from September to May, while local cows are in milk. Mornings are the safest bet. Outside the season, or at weekends, the shop is still open from 9am to 5pm every day except Christmas Day, but you will probably find the vat empty.

History

Barrys Bay first made cheddar in 1895, as one of nine small family dairy cooperatives on Banks Peninsula. The others closed one by one, leaving Barrys Bay as the last traditional cheesemaker on the peninsula. Its cheddar won the Bledisloe Cup at the British Dairy Show in 1950. In the 2026 New Zealand Cheese Awards, Barrys Bay's Pete Corbitt was named Champion Cheesemaker.

Getting There

The factory is at 5807 Christchurch Akaroa Road, near Duvauchelle, at the head of Akaroa Harbour. It is on the only main road from Christchurch to Akaroa, so it fits easily into a day trip. Akaroa itself is a short drive further on.