Overview
Gisborne is a city on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island. It’s known for wineries and surf beaches such as Makorori.
Description
The Tairawhiti Museum has exhibits on indigenous and colonial history, with Wyllie Cottage, an early European house, and Maori artefacts. Titirangi Reserve has lookouts and a monument to explorer James Cook. Nearby, Te Poho-o-Rawiri is a Maori meeting house with carvings of ancestral figures.
Gisborne is the first city in the world to greet the sun each morning, and it has a reputation for great food, wine and surf beaches. As the unofficial ‘Chardonnay Capital of New Zealand’, Gisborne has a comprehensive wine trail leading to boutique wineries. Several operators offer custom tours tailored for individuals or groups, to spare you the problem of driving.
Kaiti Beach is the site of Captain Cook’s first landing in New Zealand (9 October 1769); nearby is picturesque Te Poho O Rawiri Marae. If you’re interested in Māori culture, Gisborne is an essential port of call on your itinerary – old traditions are still evident in many parts of the city. Oral history records Titirangi (Kaiti) Hill as the point of arrival for the migratory waka (canoe), Horouta, which brought the first Māori to the area.