Barrys Bay Travel Forum

Hi,

The cheese factory sounds interesting. Where is it located? Is it on the way from Christchurch to Lake Tekapo? What time does it open and close? Planning to go on a Sat.

Thanks a million

Hi there, Barry's Bay Traditional Cheeses is on Takaroa Harbour. Open seven days a week, 9 to 5. They don't make cheese everyday, though. You can call them ahead to ask at (03) 304-5809.

For more info take a look at http://www.barrysbaycheese.co.nz

Enjoy your visit. Lubama05

It is not Takaroa Harbour but Akaroa Harbour ;-)

It is not on the way to Lake Tekapo but on Banks Peninsula, right int he other direction. It would be an additional day trip that I can highly recommend - not for the cheese factory, though, but for the beauty of the peninsula and Akaroa which is the only French settlement in New Zealand. Very romantic. Akaroa Harbour is famous for its dolphin tours - Hector's dolphins, the world's rarest and smallest dolphins.

If you want more info on Banks Peninsula I have just lately compiled an Akaroa page on which you find a lot of info about the whole peninsula, including the cheese factory. Note that the cheese factory does not operate every day and only at certain hours, and in the rest of time it is just a shop where you can taste some cheese and buy other delicatessen.

Thanks. Trying to work out my itinerary to fit in Kaikoura for the whale cruise. Not sure if Dunedin is more fun or Kaikoura. Might have to miss Dunedin if I squeeze in a day to Kaikoura. What do you think?

My current draft itinerary is Christchurch-Lake Tekapo-Mount Cook-Dunedin-Queenstown-Franz Josef-Greymouth-Christchurch. Have been to Dunedin a few years ago when I took a tour to New Zealand, but it was a touch and go affair, just remember going to the Larnach Castle. Not sure if it is worth it to drive to Dunedin vs driving to Queenstown straight from Mount Cook and having the extra day to cover Kaikoura

Otago Peninsula is one of my favourite places in NZ, and Dunedin is a very pretty city... But Kaikoura is also wonderful, not just for the whale watching. You just have to decide which kind of wildlife encounter you want more - the albatross colony, penguins and seals of Otago Peninsula, or the whales, dolphins and lots of seals of Kaikoura. The landscape is beautiful in both places - but if you are just there for one day you would profit more of Otago Peninsula, driving along the Summit Road and down to the beaches, bird watching around the inlets, etc.

But it is easy for me to say that as I can visit both places whenever I want, and I love them both ;-)

However, given your limited time I must say I would skip Dunedin because it is a lot of driving. Kaikoura would nearly be on the way back from the West Coast. You could drive from Greymouth to Reefton - Hanmer Springs (hot pools!) and on the inland route to Kaikoura, then down to Christchurch. If you have a day left you could still drive to Arthur's Pass and back, or to Banks Peninsula. This way you could cut off a day of just driving and see more.

After reading your Akaroa travel page, I couldn't agree more with you that it is more worthwhile to drive there vs going to Kaikoura. Now I just have to convince my 3 other travelling partners. Still putting Dunedin in my itinerary at this juncture, I think we should just have enough days to fit everything in.
Thanks for all your suggestions.

You are really very thorough in your research, I like this :-)

And if you can convince your travel partners do not hesitate to ask more questions :-)