Don't Miss

Explore the colonial past

Gisborne has a rich history and some fascinating tales to tell.

• Find Captain Cook's landing site at Kaiti Beach, then climb Kaiti Hill for views across to the white cliffs of Young Nick's Head (named after Nicholas Young - the first of Cook's crew to sight New Zealand)
• Oral history records Titirangi (Kaiti) Hill as the point of arrival for the migratory waka (canoe), Horouta, which brought the first Maori to the area
• Tairawhiti Museum & Arts Centre houses a fine collection of European and Maori artefacts and an extensive photographic collection
• Heritage trails in the district highlight places of historical significance. Gisborne's historic city walk takes between one and three hours
• East Coast Museum of Technology has an impressive restored machinery collection, including stationary engines, fire appliances and tractors
   

Beautiful places for a photo or a picnic

Eastland has many magical places to feed your soul and fill up your camera's memory card.

• Make an appointment to visit picturesque Te Poho O Rawiri Marae. The interior of the whare rununga (meeting house) is almost completely covered in fine ancestor carvings and geometric tukutuku (woven panels).
• Take part in the Whale Rider tour - visit the village where the movie was filmed
• Find Titirangi Domain and Kaiti Hill for views over the Poverty Bay area
• Eastwoodhill Arboretum has the largest collection of Northern Hemisphere trees and shrubs in the Southern Hemisphere
• Hackfall's Arboretum has one of the largest private collections of Oak, Maple and Poplar trees in New Zealand

Adventure Eastland style

You can be daring in Eastland, or you can just pull up a chair and sip the local wine.

• Swim with Blue and Mako sharks in a specially designed snorkelling cage
• Go surfing or body surfing. A local surf guide can take you to the perfect breaks
• Visit the wineries - Gisborne is recognised as the 'Chardonnay Capital of New Zealand'
• Catch a fishing charter and experience the great ocean fishing that Eastland is famous for
• Try your luck in the trout fishing rivers - a local guide will help you to find a good spot
• Saddle up and go horse trekking over farmland trails and along beaches
• Enjoy a slippery thrill at Rere Rock Slide, Gisborne's very own natural rock slide
• Walk behind a waterfall at Rere Falls

Biggest, largest and first

All over the region, you'll find special places that will live forever in your memory.

• Climb Mount Hikurangi, the first mainland place in the world to see the sunrise (prior consent required by Ngati Porou)
• Visit Tolaga Bay and walk down the longest pier in New Zealand (660 metres)
• Walk the 700 steps to the East Cape Lighthouse, the most easterly point of mainland New Zealand
• Sit underneath the largest Pohutukawa in New Zealand at Te Araroa
• Admire Tikitiki Church - one of the most ornate Maori churches ever built. Even the stained glass utilises Maori design
• Fish on the shortest river in New Zealand - Turanganui River in Gisborne city

Natural Wonders to Find and Explore

Expect to be ambushed by the beauty of nature everywhere you look.

• Enjoy a relaxing soak in the Nikau Pools at Morere Hot Springs, where there's native forest on all sides
• Explore Te Urewera National Park, the largest native forest wilderness remaining in the North Island. Introduced animals, such as deer and pigs, are found in the park and hunting of these animals is encouraged. Permits are available from the Aniwaniwa Visitor Centre
• Enjoy trout fishing, swimming, kayaking or walking around Lake Waikaremoana
• Drive to Waioeka Scenic Reserve near Opotiki for bush scenery, river rafting, canoeing and swimming
• Go rafting on the Motu River - trips depart from Opotiki