Glorious Gisborne
Why Gisborne is the perfect mini-break destination.
It’s something quite a few New Zealanders may be able to relate to. The realisation that they’ve never been to Tairāwhiti Gisborne, but they scratch their head trying to figure out why. It’s got stunning beaches, vineyards, great beer and coffee and it’s considered the citrus capital of New Zealand. What’s not to love? For many, the fact that Gisborne isn’t somewhere you can travel through on your way elsewhere may be holding them back. It’s a destination location, and it’s one that every New Zealander needs to add to their tiki tour bucket list.
Maunga Hikurangi
Ngāti Porou's sacred mountain, Maunga Hikurangi, is the North Island's highest non-volcanic peak and is the first place in the world to see the sunrise. You can choose a Maunga Hikurangi Experience with Ngāti Porou that suits you, including a hike for those who want to walk up the mountain, an overnight stay, a sunrise experience or a day tour learning about Ngāti Porou's stories and about their land. You can also choose a helicopter experience, which will fly you right onto the maunga. Beautiful!
The beaches
In a way, Gisborne is the introverted nature baby’s paradise. There’s no jostling for a spot on the beach – even during the peak season there’s an abundance of golden sand to go around. For surfers, there are plenty of great waves to catch, and for kids lots of little waves to practise their boogie-boarding skills on. The Oneroa Walkway takes you right along Waikanae Beach, which is the beach nearest the Gisborne township. You can also use this walkway as a cycleway, making it perfect for a morning or evening stroll or cycle.
There are other gorgeous beaches close to the township, and you’ll only have to drive about 10-20 minutes maximum to get to any of them, including Wainui Beach, Sponge Bay and Kaiti Beach. Pack some snacks, a towel and head on down to any of these beaches for a lovely day of relaxation in a beautiful spot.
The Gisborne Railbike Adventure
It’s a concept that came to Geoff Main in the middle of the night. Utilise the barely used coastal train track by building a tandem cycle that glides along the track – with a bit of assistance from the rider – allowing riders to spend the day taking in the gorgeous Gisborne scenery. With options for standard bikes and e-bikes, you can choose the level of effort you’d like to invest, decide whether you’d like to go out for one hour or a day-long journey and get riding. You’ll experience many of the local highlights including traversing the Waipāoa Bridge, taking in panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, being followed by cheeky cows in neighbouring paddocks, and travelling through bush-clad valleys.
Eastwoodhill Arboretum
The National Arboretum of New Zealand is well worth a visit to admire a huge range of trees and plants from all over the globe. The planting of this area started back in 1910, and it’s grown to be the home of the largest collection of northern hemisphere trees in the southern hemisphere. There are around 25,000 species of plants that cover the 135 hectare area, and wandering through these gardens is an often breathtaking experience – you’ll even see some native birds in amongst the trees. The gift shop also offers a huge variety of items, many made by Gisborne artists. A great place to pick up a souvenir for family and friends.
Feed the stingrays
Did you know stingrays are considered puppies of the water world? Dive Tatapouri’s Reef Ecology Tour gives you an up close experience with wild stingrays. Once kitted out in “designer waders”, you’ll head on out into the sea at low tide with your tour guides. Stingrays are playful, and loyal in a sense that they have their favourite tour guides, and they can pick them out based on their heartbeats. During the experience, the stingrays will flit around your feet – some may even give your leg a bit of a hug – and you’ll be able to feed them by placing your hand with food on the bottom of the sea floor. If you haven’t seen a stingray’s face before, you’re sure to get all gooey over how cute it is. During your time on the tour you may even spot a wee penguin or two as they’ve set up a home on the beach outside Dive Tatapouri’s headquarters.
Tairāwhiti Museum
Free for locals, and $5 for out-of-towners, the Tairāwhiti Museum features exhibits from talented local artists, as well as incredible items from New Zealand history. While we were in Gisborne, Māori taonga that had been returned from Europe were showcased, and it was amazing to be in the presence of items that were used so many years ago, had travelled across the world, and had made it back home to Gisborne again in exceptional condition. An awe-inspiring exhibition to have seen. The museum itself has many different areas showcasing different collections, and you could easily spend quite a few hours taking in all of the exhibits. tairawhitimuseum.org.nz
No matter what your style of holiday, whether it’s more nature-oriented and self-driven, or whether you like to jump in and get involved with all the adventure options such as railbikes and stingray feeding, Tairāwhiti Gisborne offers a fabulous holiday for everyone.
Getting there
Air New Zealand offers non-stop flights to Gisborne from Auckland and Wellington with connections available across the domestic network; with seat, seat+bag, flexitime or flexidate fares. Auckland-Gisborne flights take 65 minutes and Wellington-Gisborne flights take 75 minutes. For more information visit