New Zealand is perceived by many Russians as almost another planet. It became famous due to the adaptations of works by J.R.R. Tolkien, such as 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit.' However, the country is renowned not only for its magnificent nature but also for becoming a refuge for Russian emigrants who left their homeland due to the Bolshevik Revolution in the 20th century. Among them was Orthodox priest Aleksey Godyaev, a man with an extraordinary fate who, as it turned out later, became the founder of New Zealand's cheese industry.

Aleksey Godyaev was born on February 8, 1900, in a priest's family. He graduated from the Vyatka Seminary but did not become a priest due to the revolution and civil war. At that time, he served as an officer in the 'White' army and then emigrated to Germany. There, he obtained a degree in chemical engineering from the Munich Polytechnic University, which later played an important role in his life. Aleksey had a beautiful voice and was a professional opera singer at La Scala for some time.

In the 1940s, Aleksey moved with his family to Australia and then to New Zealand, where he founded the first Orthodox community in the small town of Waikanae. He held the first services in a rented Protestant church. Aleksey and his parishioners dreamed of a permanent Orthodox church, and in 1955 they managed to purchase and convert a building in the center of Wellington. Aleksey was a key figure for New Zealand Orthodoxy for forty years, conducting services in Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin. New Zealand became his final refuge; he died in Wellington in 1991 but was buried in Waikanae, where his ministry began.

Aleksey settled in Waikanae because it was the center of dairy production. By the time he arrived, New Zealand's agriculture had already reached a high level of development, and numerous herds of cows and sheep provided the population with quality meat and milk. However, local farmers could only produce butter, cottage cheese, and cheese-like products from milk.

Thanks to his chemical education, Aleksey was able to establish the first full-fledged cheese farm in the country based on local dairy production. He developed a special type of lactic acid bacteria used in cheese production. New Zealand farmers believe that it was Aleksey Godyaev who was the reason for the emergence of cheese production in their country.