Reconnect with Nature: Explore Akaroa This January

January arrives with long days, salty air, and that unmistakable holiday rhythm around Akaroa and the bays. The harbour is busy, the beaches are calling, and the landscape feels alive with movement, colour, and light. It’s a time for slowing down, exploring a little further, and seeing familiar places from fresh angles.

In this month’s newsletter, we’re sharing local highlights, summer spots worth lingering at, and gentle reminders to step away from the rush and reconnect with nature. Whether you’re visiting, staying a while, or enjoying the bays year-round, January is an invitation to recharge and let the harbour set the pace.

New Years resolution to get fit?

Try one of the many short walks in the Akaroa and Bays. we recommend the following tracks;

more walks can be viewed here.

Duvauchelle Show – Saturday 10th Jan

The Duvauchelle Show is a much-loved summer highlight that brings the bays community together for a day of classic country fun. With livestock displays, competitions, food stalls, and plenty to keep kids entertained, it’s a relaxed, family-friendly event that celebrates rural life and local talent. Set against the backdrop of Akaroa Harbour, the show is as much about catching up with friends and neighbours as it is about the entertainment, making it a must-do for visitors wanting a true taste of bays life.

Competition Closing 31 January

We want your photo of the main wharf – that’s the one with the Blue Shed! Renovations and repairs start soon and we want to capture one last summer of fun! Photos must be taken between October 31 2025 and January 31st 2026. Cash prizes with categories for Professional, Amateur and Junior and the chance to have your photo exhibited. Enter here.

Visitor Tips

Heading our way this summer? Here are a few tips from the Akaroa Community Forum to help keep your holiday smooth and enjoyable:

Parking: Best parking is at the north end of town near the new courts. Parking rules are strictly enforced in summer, so watch time limits, yellow lines and driveways.

Fires: Fire risk is high on the Peninsula. If your property is under 2 hectares, you must have a permit before lighting any outdoor fire.

Swimming: Check the water-quality advisory for the latest safe-swimming info.

Sea Activities: Signs around the harbour show where fishing, water-skiing and other activities are allowed. Please follow them to keep everyone safe.

Health and safety: Check The Akaroa Health Centre website for hours and contact information.

Emergency = 111 Non-emergency (including lost property) = 105

Bored kids? Pop into the Akaroa Information Centre for ideas to keep little (and big) explorers happy.

Enjoy your time in our beautiful bays, and thanks for helping keep Akaroa safe and relaxed for everyone!

Essentially Sorted!

Rolled into town and realised you forgot a few things? No stress, Akaroa’s got your back!

NPD Akaroa Motor Garage – fuel up, grab fishing gear and stock up on snacks.

Akaroa Butchery & Deli – top-notch meat and easy food options for holiday feasts.

Akaroa Four Square – all your everyday grocery essentials in one stop.

Akaroa Laundry – because holidays are for relaxing, not washing.

A la baguette – irresistible French-inspired bread, best enjoyed still warm.

From practical to delicious, everything you need is right here.

Kid Friendly

Meet the alpacas at Shamarra Aplacas. A gentle, hands-on experience perfect for nature lovers.

There are many places that sell ice-cream – the perfect treat on a hot day.

Akaroa Museum and Okains Bay Museum are great options for the history enthusiasts or if the sun gets too much.

All of our dolphin and wildlife cruises are child-friendly choose from; Akaroa Dolphins, Black Cat Cruises, Coast up Close, Eco Seaker, and Fox II.

We have so many beaches you are guaranteed to find your own spot for a picnic and swim. There are also a number of wharves which are excellent for fishing from. Forgot the bait or fishing line? No worries pop into the NPD garage, they have a great range.

Most of our restaurants have children’s options and there is also minigolf, the movies and a skatepark – what more could you ask for?

Try Something New

Trying something new is often where the best memories begin. Have you ever;

Say yes to something different and see where it leads – we dare you!

Plan your Akaroa and the Bays adventure

Don’t bypass Barrys Bay

Barrys Bay sits quietly at the head of Akaroa Harbour, the first bay you come to off the hill. It’s a small settlement shaped by water, land, and a long working history. Known historically as Taraouta, the bay was valued for its sheltered anchorage and fertile surrounding farmland, supporting Māori food gathering and later European farming and coastal trade. With sweeping views across to Onawe Peninsula and down the harbour, Barrys Bay has always been a place where daily life was closely tied to the rhythms of the water.

Today, Barrys Bay is best known as the home of Barrys Bay Cheese, operating since 1895 and one of the region’s most iconic local producers. Visitors often stop to watch the cheese-making process, sample the range, and leave with a bag full of favourites. Beyond the shop, the grassy foreshore offers an easy picnic spot, while the calm shoreline and mudflats / wetlands make the bay a rewarding place for bird-watching, with spoonbills, oystercatchers, and white-faced herons regularly spotted.

Barrys Bay is also the access point to Onawe Peninsula, a culturally significant site in Akaroa Harbour. At low tide, visitors can walk across to Onawe, where a well-marked track explores the headland and offers sweeping harbour views. The area is rich in history and is best experienced slowly and respectfully, adding another layer of meaning to this quietly special part of the harbour. Whether stopping briefly or settling in for an afternoon, Barrys Bay offers a gentle blend of history, landscape, and local flavours.