Taste new delights as local produce grows and thrives in the rich volcanic soil and clean peninsula air. Wines, seafood, olives, walnuts, lavender and more thrive in a perfect ecosystem and yours to enjoy.
Akaroa Craft Distillery
This is my story first
The story of a place. Whangaroa. Hakaroa. Akaroa.
But my tale begins millions of years before names, when two mighty volcanoes rose from the sea. Flows of lava spilled down their flanks, forming land.
Over time my fire ceased. Wind and water ground down my vast volcanoes. The rising ocean flooded my extinct calderas, forming the harbours of Akaroa and Lyttelton. My island became a peninsula, connected to Te Wai Pounamu by rocks and sands washed down from the Southern Alps.
The land and the sea
My slopes became green and thickly forested. My hills rang with the songs of kiwi, kākāpō, parakeets and tūī. Moa roamed. My oceans thronged with dolphins, whales, penguins and kai moana in abundance.
Gods & people
I sat with Maui as he fished up Te Ika a Maui. He buried a troublesome giant under my mountains. I feel him stir from time to time.
I was here when the first humans came. The Waitaha paddling their waka from Polynesia. Ngāti Māmoe and Ngāi Tahu built their pā and planted their gardens. I was here when Te Rauparaha bought fire and blood to the harbour. I watched the Ngāi Tahu chiefs Iwikau and Tikao sign Te Tiriti o Waitangi at Ōnuku Marae. I saw the British plant their flags and the disappointment on Capitaine Langlois’s face as he returned too late to claim me for the French crown.
The essence of Akaroa
Many have told my story. But only one has distilled the essence of this place to make poems that run over your tongue. Songs that sing in your mouth.
Every bottle is a taste of this place. Kelp gathered in Wainui, lavender from Little River, rosehips from Little Akaloa, wild thyme from French Bay. Locally grown grapes, lemons, and botanicals for gins that are a true evocation of this beautiful place.
Akaroa Craft Distillery. Tales of the harbour told in gin.
We proudly opened the doors to the Akaroa Craft Distillery Tasting House at 45 Rue Lavaud on March 31 2022. The Tasting House has been lovingly restored to become a place that feels like home; somewhere relaxing and memorable for our guests to sample our gins and learn about our story. We are excited to have the doors open for you to enjoy and look forward to seeing you soon.
Blue Pearl Gallery
Welcome to our family business and ‘Home’ of the Blue Pearl. We are located on the Main Wharf just 6km from the original Blue Pearl Farm, right here in Akaroa harbour.
Watch as our Master Craftsman Jewellers, Jack and Kaz, – with over 75 years experience between them – handcraft New Zealand’s largest selection of Blue Pearls. Then learn about the story of the unique Blue Pearl process in our information room.
Our Gallery also has special jewellery pieces in Baltic Amber, Tahitian Black Pearls, Greenstone, a unique handmade collection, antiques and so much more.
We can bring your old jewellery back to life – bring in your old gold and precious stones and we can redesign and create a piece that are only limited by your imagination!
SUMMER HOURS: 7 Days, 10am-4:30pm
WINTER HOURS: Wednesday to Sunday, 10am-430pm
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A little history:
Jack learnt his craft from his father, eagerly picking up the tools at the young age of 7. This interest flourished with Jack continuing the family business and becoming a European-trained Master Jeweller with over 50 years’ experience. During his varied career, Jack taught his craft to students at a Technical College in Poland and was a designer for the largest jewellery company in Europe – Pierre Lang – in Vienna, Austria. His dream of immigrating to New Zealand with his wife and two daughters came true in 1986. Here Jack continued to hone his craft by opening a small boutique store and workshop in Christchurch, adding Kiwi inspiration into his designs.
In 2000, Jack met Roger Beattie, the force behind Eyris Blue Pearls. And to this day, we work closely with Roger and the team at Eyris who source and provide us with the World’s best Blue Pearls. We set these in our own custom-designed pieces and our extensive range is exhibited, right here in our Blue Pearl Gallery, in Akaroa.
Some of our team’s artistic professional highlights include:
*Our team was called upon to create a unique Eyris Blue Pearl brooch for Queen Elizabeth. The New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key, presented it to her in September, 2013. To our honour, the Queen has since worn it several times.
*The following year, in 2014, Kate Middelton, the Duchess of Cambridge was gifted a pair of Eyris Pearl earrings, during their Royal Highnesses’ Tour of New Zealand and Australia.
*2019 marked the 30th year of the Cancer Society’s Ball, and with 30 being the ‘year of the Pearl’, we thought it only fitting to donate an Eyris Blue Pearl diamond enhancer for the charity auction.
*We supported “Variety – The Children’s Charity” through the creation of an Eyris Blue Pearl earring and pendant set. This was worn by Miss World 2003 at a live auction.
*The creation of Kiwi songstress Hayley Westenra’s dazzling one-carat while and argyle diamond platinum ring in 2012.
*And one of Jack’s favourite creations - a commission for a small amber-and-white gold ice pick gifted to Sir Edmund Hillary in 2004 on his trip to Europe.
Barrys Bay Traditional Cheese
The original Barrys Bay Dairy Factory opened in 1895, so we are proud to have been operating for over 125 years! Originally one of 9 small dairy cooperatives on Bank Peninsula, Barrys Bay is the last surviving cheese factory and an icon of the area. To allow for expansion, our current cheese factory was built in 1953 and by all accounts was the most modern factory in NZ at the time. Today we still use traditional recipes & methods brought to NZ by the early English settlers, as well as some European style recipes we have picked up along the way. Some of our favourite cheeses are Havarti, Maasdam, Aged Gouda, Rinded Cheddar and Peninsula Blue. We believe using fresh, local milk is the key to producing such consistent, beautiful cheese. Stop in at our factory shop on your way to Akaroa, where you can watch the Cheesemakers in action through our viewing window on weekdays (Sept – May).
In the weekend and on non-make days, ask our team to play the DVD about our cheesemaking process. Enjoy complimentary cheese samples and shop our range of local wines, craft beer, preserves and other goodies on offer.
Our factory shop is open 7 days a week from 9am-5pm.
Aihe
Aihe, Akaroa's Newest waterfront restaurant! Specializing in modern European cuisine with a strong emphasis on seafood. Serving from 9am if you are looking for a delicious selection of breakfast, lunch and dinner options or just a drink then Aihe is a must on any visit to Akaroa
French Peak Vineyard & Accommodation
We are a small, picturesque, organic (in the process of getting our certification) vineyard in French Farm, Banks Peninsula. Visitors have told us that they love to come and stay on the vineyard because they can “escape”, enjoy an outdoor, wood fired bath (our Wagon) and have a relaxing, comfortable break in beautiful surroundings. We also have some stunning, ever changing, landscape views of hills and the sea.
We are looking to re-open our Cellar Door and Tasting Room in September 2022, when our own wine is ready. This is the first harvest under our ownership (although “French Peak” has been around for many years) so it is a very exciting time. Renan Cataliotti has been managing the vineyard for a number of years now and will happily come and introduce himself to you and tell you all about winegrowing. Our big initiatives this year are to move to cane (from spur) pruning and starting BioGro’s organic certification process. Renan has been using organic processes for years but we now want to be able to officially prove that we are practising what we are preaching.
For our accommodation we have a self-contained Barn apartment and a free standing Wagon (in the vineyard). Our Barn is spacious and modern. It sleeps 4 people and has both a lounge and dining area as well as a modern shower room and toilet. If the weather is good then there is an outdoor dining area as well as a barbecue. In the Barn there is a fridge, microwave, heating, wifi, utensils and essentials to ensure a comfortable stay.
Our Wagon is just that - a unique and very comfortable, spacious and modern Wagon, with seating areas inside and out, a shower, heating, wifi and an outdoor bath where you can sit and look at the sea, hills and our vineyard whilst drinking our award winning wine. Star gazing and relaxation are musts here!
During your stay you are also welcome to spend time sitting in our beautiful, landscaped gardens, wandering through our forest area with its ponds, waterfall, native New Zealand plant life and stream, play petanque and taste our wine at the Cellar Door.
We look forward to welcoming you to our little piece of paradise.
www.frenchpeak.co.nz - “French inspired, New Zealand born, Scottish heart”.
Carolyn and Simon Lints
Akaroa Winery
Akaroa Winery is a beautiful Mediterranean style venue, overlooking the stunning Akaroa inlet. Nestled in Takamatua Valley, the organic, family-owned vineyard is located on the north facing slopes of the lush hills of Banks Peninsula overlooking Takamatua Bay. We produce the highest quality grapes with every aspect of our growing and planting dedicated to the environment, using sustainable farming techniques. We believe that our fruit makes superior wines. We are focused on creating extraordinary age-worthy wines that express the unique characteristics of the fruit from Takamatua Valley. The rugged terrior of our vineyard produces wines with great intensity and finesse. Enjoy...
Akaroa Winery will be closed from 3rd May - 1st September and will reopen in Spring with new wines to try!
Akaroa Winery, situated in Takamatua valley, overlooks the beautiful local harbour. Akaroa Winery is Akaroa's first and only certified Organic Vineyard and Winery Estate. Tour the vineyard and modern wine making facility. Taste some of the many wine vintages available while touring the amazing grounds and see the "dirt to bottle" experience first hand. Complimentary Shuttle Service available.
Open daily 11am to 4pm.
Private Tours and Tastings can be made by appointment.
Contact Allan for more information.
Mr Peacock,
Colourful Clothing for All
Quality hand-crafted clothing designed in Akaroa from a purpose-built studio by Emma Manhart and husband Mark Kolff, and manufactured by talented small-scale artisan makers in New Zealand. At Mr Peacock we create a unique world of colour, style and fashion for everyone. The cut and fit of all pieces - from our funky patterned mens shirts to vibrant dresses combined with colourful womens coats & jackets - are designed and crafted to make you feel good. Whether it is the shape, colour, or the pattern, wearing Mr Peacock clothing will bring out the brightest parts of you. We love encouraging and helping people to dress with boldness and to explore their inner Peacock, so come and discover us now or check out our online shop at mrpeacock.co.nz
You will find us located between Akaroa’s historic bank and St Peter’s Church at 8 Rue Balguerie.
Shop Opening Hours
Open Wednesday - Sunday
Closed Monday & Tuesday
10:00 am - 5 pm
Outside of these hours we are happy to open by appointment.
Just call Mark on 027 270 3965 to arrange a time to visit the shop
Emma Manhart designer and co-owner of Mr Peacock has shown at NZ Fashion Week and is a previous WearableArt (WOW) award winner.
Emma and Mark are interviewed here by" STUFF" To view the article click HERE.
Akaroa Farmers Market
Visit the Akaroa Farmers Market every Saturday from 9.30am to 1pm from October to April. Banks Peninsula has an abundance of produce and passionate gardeners. Our stallholders offer locally grown fruit, veges, herbs, honey, olive oil, olives, nuts and flowers plus locally produced preserves, pickles, jams, sauces, bread, pastries, lavender products, plants, and more.
For more Information on the Akaroa Farmers Market talk to one of the stall holders or contact Neil Barnett.
The Akaroa Farmers Market have a new Facebook page to let folk know what’s happening, what’s in season, who's selling what and any specials stall holders are offering.
Facebook.
Akaroa Lavender
Kia Ora from Akaroa Lavender.
We are a small team that has spent the last 35 years sustainably developing our property in Duvauchelle, ten minutes from Akaroa.
We sell our lavender products on-line and are open to visit by prior arrangement; please phone to confirm availability.
Akaroa Salmon
Sail a few kilometres into the mouth of the Akaroa Harbour and in deep water Lucas Bay near the shore you’ll find crop circles. These are round pens and they hold salmon. The farm began in the mid 1980’s by the Bates family. The location is right in the band of the eastern South Island coastline where the wild salmon prowl at sea. They keep the stocking density very low and feed a low energy diet so the salmon grow slowly and as lean as they are in the wild. We are proud to supply salmon from farm to plate. 'The Good Oil'.
Pot Pourri - Fudge
Pot Pourri's homemade fudge has been lovingly made in our kitchen for over 17 years.
We have perfected the art of fudge making and have customers returning from far and wide to purchase our delicious creamy buttery fudge.
Regular comments we hear from our customers are - "The best fudge I have ever tasted!" "It is so creamy" "Delicous!" "Do you really make this?" "I don't usually like fudge but this is amazing"
We are passionate about our product and every tray is made with love.
We make over 50 flavours and offer free tastings, so come in for a taste.
Open 9-5.30 7 days a week